Triple Trouble
by Proforce
Summary: Story 10. Thanks to Gary's interference, the Cerulean Sisters know of the relationship between Ash, Misty, and Penny. Not only do they disapprove, they have taken it upon themselves to show the ladies just how unworthy Ash is of their affections. Does Ash have a chance to defeat them at their own game? Or will he succumb to temptation? 5-part story, new chapter every day.
1. A Forced Wager

"Triple Trouble"

Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.

Author's Note: Another so many years, another pokémon fic. Every time I try to find my way, something sidetracks me. And boy have I been sidetracked lately. I've been navigating a really dark era of my life without much success, but I hope it's all behind me now. Those who follow me have seen what I mean on my website. It's a hard road that has led me here, but with luck it will all be for the better.

I know most of my readers will regard this as a "filler" story where very little is actually accomplished. I hope you will believe me when I insist that a lot is going on behind the scenes in the days covered in this fic. True, you won't find out exactly what until the following story, but I hope that this story will at least be entertaining for you. And yes, I know the Cerulean Sisters are supposed to be Valley Girls/bubbleheads, but I could not make myself type the work "like" any more than was strictly necessary. Feel free to add your own in your minds if you wish. Till next time everyone, Happy Reading!

#10

Part 1: "A Forced Wager"

It was a gloomy sky that met Ash and company as they reached the edge of Viridian City. The way the grey clouds roiled across the sky, dark patches standing out sharply against a lighter backdrop, would have made almost any other trainers feel uneasy. Some might have even read ominous portents in the darkness above them. But Ash was after his eighth and final badge; nothing would or could dampen his spirits.

And his enthusiasm was catching. He strolled arm-in-arm-in-arm with both Penny and Misty, all three chatting animatedly about how they had first met each other. Suzie, who was walking a few steps behind with Brock, hadn't heard this story so was listening avidly. From Ash and Penny's first battle against the flock of spearows, through the fall in the river, to when Misty fished them out and stole her bike to get Penny to safety, Ash had her complete attention.

Ash was about to continue on to talk about rushing Penny to the Pokémon Center after the second encounter with the spearows when he felt Misty stop suddenly, her hand pulling sharply from his. He turned around to see why she had stopped only to hear two words that made his heart skip a beat in fear. "My bike."

"Now Misty," Ash said, disengaging his hand from Penny's and quickly backpedalling down the street, "you know it was for a good cause. Haven't you forgiven me for it yet?"

Misty handed Togepi over to Penny and advanced on Ash, each step seeming to shake the landscape. "No," she growled, shaking her head. That was all the cue Ash needed; he spun around and sprinted toward the Pokémon Center like a flock of demons was on his tail. And with Misty closing the gap screaming bloody murder, he would've probably had better luck with the demons.

Penny, Brock, and Suzie just watched as unususpecting pedestrians cleared out of their way or got shoved aside forcefully. "Do you think we should interfere?" Suzie asked, genuinely concerned for Ash's welfare.

Brock and Penny shared a long-suffering glance and sighed. "I guess we should..." Brock began.

"...But only to limit the collateral damage," Penny finished for him as the three hurried after their friends, Togepi laughing as she was bounced in Penny's arms. But by the time they reached the Pokémon Center, the carnage had already begun.

Misty had Ash locked in an Octopus Hold and was trying to bend his elbow the wrong way while screaming nonstop in his ear. Ash, for his part, was still on his feet and trying to escape the painful hold without hurting Misty in the process. Nurse Joy was trying to pry Misty off, but that was only putting more pressure on Ash's neck and arm. Every other trainer and pokémon in the place were hiding under table or pressing against walls, hoping that they would not be noticed by the crazy redhead. "I'll take care of this," Penny, setting Togepi down and preparing to transform.

"No need," Brock said, walking up behind Misty and slipping his arm around her bare waist. The unexpected, and somewhat ticklish, contact broke Misty's concentration and allowed Brock to pull her off with a minimum of fuss. "Brock!" she whined, trying to squirm out of his grip.

"That will be quite enough out of you!" Nurse Joy said, towering over Misty as Brock released her. "This is a place of rest and healing, not fighting! Keep your childish antics outside!"

Misty knew that anything she tried to say in her defense would only make her look more childish. Besides, she had overreacted; now that she was calm she could see that. "I'm sorry," she said, properly contrite. She even threw in a bow for good measure.

"You had better be," Nurse Joy sniffed. "If I catch you doing anything like that again, you're out on your ear. And you'd better apologize to your boyfriend."

"Yes ma'am," Misty said, slinking over toward a still recovering Ash.

Nurse Joy breathed a deep sigh of relief. It had just been a guess that the boy was her boyfriend, but since they were still in each other's company almost a year after she'd first met them, she felt it was a pretty safe guess to make. If only she could remember their names.

"Excuse me," Brock said, tapping her lightly on her shoulder.

Nurse Joy fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd heard the girl call him Brock, and that name she knew well. He was fairly infamous among all the Joys and Jennys for how crazy he acted around them all. After what just happened, dealing with him was the last thing she needed. She turned to him to give him a piece of her overworked mind only to find that a surprise was waiting for her.

Brock held a number of trays in his hands, each one holding some pokéballs. "You looked a little harried," he explained, "so I gathered all the trainers' pokémon for you and labeled their trays."

"T-thank you," she stammered, taking the trays from him. Here is where it would happen, here is where he'd start bugging her for a date. But no, all he did was smile and walk off toward his friends. "That was rather nice of him," she thought, walking behind the desk in a daze. "And he's pretty cute too!" A wild blush blossomed on her pale cheeks at that stray thought and she quickly squashed it by burying herself in her work.

Meanwhile, Misty was still apologizing to Ash, who of course had already accepted it. "Don't worry about it Misty," he said, rubbing her back gently.

Misty shook her head, holding her finger against Ash's lips. "No Ash, it's not OK," she said. "You didn't deserve that, especially because of that stupid bike. If you hadn't taken my bike, I would've never started traveling with you. That's enough of a reason to never regret it. I hope you never pay me back for that bike. Not that I'd stop following you even if you did."

"Just what I was hoping to hear." That finally put a smile on Misty's face, one that Ash mirrored. They leaned in to seal their makeup with a kiss, but a voice interrupted them.

"I'm sorry, did you say your names were Ash and Misty?" Nurse Joy asked, having brought her thoughts back under control. "I have a message here for a Misty Waterflower that's traveling with Ash Ketchum."

Misty held up her hand toward Nurse Joy. "Just one second," she said, leaning in and catching Ash's lips with her own. After she sat back, she turned and nodded. "Who's the message from?" she asked, walking over

Nurse Joy unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Misty. "It's from your sisters. They said to call as soon as you got the message. They seemed rather intent when they called."

"You have sisters?" Suzie asked, processing this new piece of information. "I don't think I've ever heard you mention them before."

Misty scowled and crushed the message in her hand. "That's because I wish I didn't," she muttered. "They don't exactly treat me like a sister and I've learned to stop caring about it."

"I wonder what they want," Penny said, snagging an apple from Nurse Joy's desk.

"They're probably going on a world cruise or something and want me to mind the gym. Well if they think they're pulling that on me, they've got another thing coming." She marched over to the vidphones with Ash and Penny nearby but not in view of the phone. After dialing the number, she waited impatiently for her call to be answered.

After just two rings, Lily's smiling face and pink hair appeared on the screen. "You've reached the Cerulean Gym," she said in a peppy voice that got on Misty's nerves. "How may I... Oh, it's you Misty," she said, her voice getting suddenly colder. "Hold on."

"Now wait-!" Misty started but was cut off by the hold screen appearing. "They were in such a rush for me to call and then they put me on hold!" she ranted. She was on hold less than a minute, but by then Misty was ready to explode. What she saw, however, stopped her before she could.

All three of her sisters were on the viewscreen now and none of them looked very happy. She had just a second to accept that before all Hell broke loose. The ears of everyone in the Pokémon Center were assaulted by three screeching rants, forcing some trainers to run for their rooms. Misty, having been at least somewhat used to this, was able to keep from covering her ears long enough to make out a few choice words: "disgrace", "embarrassment", and "disappointment".

"Shut up!" Misty screamed over them, bringing blessed silence to the room for a few short seconds. "What are you three going on about? I can't understand a word you're saying! Make some sense for a change!"

Lily and Violet looked absolutely murderous, but Daisy simply sneered at her youngest sister. "You want us to make some sense?" she asked with a cruel laugh. "That's really funny coming from you Misty. From what we've been hearing, it's like you're the one who finally lost her senses."

"What was that?" Misty growled, wishing she could reach through the screen and grab her sister by the throat.

"We've been hearing rumors that you've got yourself into a little relationship. Or actually, not so little. A threesome Misty?" Daisy's smirk widened as she saw Misty pale. "So it is true. What were you thinking? I thought for sure we taught you better than that."

Misty's body trembled as she tried to make some sense of this. How did they find out? She knew she hadn't said anything, and neither would Ash or Penny. She was so blindsided by it all that she couldn't form a coherent thought, much less a defense.

Daisy wasn't about to give Misty a chance to collect herself. "I'm telling you right now Misty, you'd better get your boyfriend and this other little tramp to Cerulean City on the double. Or you're not going to like the consequences."

"Don't you dare say that about Penny," Ash said as he and Penny both strode up to stand behind Misty.

"I had a feeling it was you Ash," Violet said, looking down her nose at him through the viewscreen. "And here I thought you were one of the good ones when I first met you. What was I thinking?"

"He is one of the good ones!" Misty and Penny yelled at the same time.

"Looks like a player if you asked me," Lily chimed in.

"No one asked you? This is not about you. It's my life and I'm going to live it however I see fit! Just butt out!"

Daisy leaned closer to the phone so that her face took up the entire screen. "Now you listen to me Misty," she stated in a dark voice. "Either you come here to us now or we will close the gym and come to find you, no matter how long it takes."

Misty's heart lurched at those words. When she left the gym a year ago, it had already been on shaky ground with the League. If they closed the gym for any length of time that was not related to official business, she had no doubt that their gym license would be revoked. That would be the final nail in the coffin of the Waterflower legacy, which it seemed like only she cared about. "That's blackmail!" she cried.

Daisy sat back with a victorious grin. "Call it what you want, but you know we win." When there was no response from Misty, she continued on. "Now then, as much as I'm sure you want to drag your feet getting here, I'm afraid that's just not acceptable. We're sending an Alakazam that we borrowed from a friend over to you now. You will use him to be here by tomorrow morning, no questions asked. Got it?"

"We'll be there," Ash said in a hard voice, speaking over Misty, "but we're going to be there our way, not yours."

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," Daisy snarled, slamming her hand down. "Don't you dare-" she started again, but was cut off when Ash reached over and hung up on her.

"She's not going to like that," Misty tried to joke, but her fear was evident in her voice.

Penny hugged her friend and Ash hugged them both. "Don't you worry Misty, we're not going to let them do anything," Penny promised. "It's our choice, and they can't take it from us."

Misty hugged their arms as they crisscrossed her body, smiling as Togepi hopped off the table Penny had set her on and waddled over, cuddling her mommy's ankle. "It's not going to be that easy you know," she sighed. "They could make all our lives miserable."

"They can try," Ash said, kissing her cheek. "But they can't succeed as long as we're all together."

Brock and Suzie hung back until the three separated, not wanting to intrude. "So what's the plan Ash?" Brock asked as they all stood up. "We overheard what was going on and we want to help any way we can."

Misty nodded thankfully toward Brock and Suzie for their support as Ash spoke. "You two will take that Alakazam they're sending and wait for us at the Cerulean Pokémon Center. The three of us, on the other hand, are going to make an appearance."

But Brock and Suzie weren't the only ones who overheard that discussion. Most of the trainers were pretending like they didn't know what was going on, but it was sure to be the hot gossip of the city by nightfall. Two of them, plus one very special pokémon, immediately bent their heads together over the table they shared and began speaking in hushed tones. "You know they've got something up their sleeves," the woman said, blue eyes peering out from beneath a mop of dirty blonde hair. "They wouldn't be demanding they all show up otherwise."

"What business is it of ours?" the man she was sitting with asked, reaching back to adjust the ponytail that kept his black hair out of his green eyes. "I mean, it's one thing to help them out when their lives are on the line, but should we really get involved in something like this?"

"And why not?" she hissed through her red-painted lips. "It's not just a matter of life of death you know. There's a thing called respect you know. We've been getting along good with him for a while now, and I kinda like that. Crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to see them as more friends than anything else."

"Do we really have to call them that?" the pokémon whined, though he tried to keep his voice low. "I only got two friends in this world, and that's just how I like it. Any more than that and things get complicated."

"Things are already complicated!" the woman hissed, resting her forehead on her hand. "Look, if we're going to survive all this mess then we'd better make plans. And like it or not, we can't do it all on our own. We've seen the luck that he has. I'd rather have him around to help us when we need it."

"So what?" the man asked, pondering her words carefully. "We help him here so he'll help us when we need it?"

The woman shook her head quickly. "No way, he'd never accept that. But don't worry," she added, her voice gaining a very sneaky tone to it. "I got a plan."

"Why do I worry when she says that?" both the man and the pokémon sighed, shaking their heads in unison.

A half hour later, the residents of Cerulean City were treated to a wondrous sight. The legendary pokémon, Articuno, winged her way through the skies above their town heading for their gym. Those who were able to get to a higher vantage point noticed figures riding atop the majestic bird of ice, and rumors began flying as to who could've caught what was believed to be uncatchable.

Perched on her back, Misty tried to relax within Ash's embrace as they began their descent toward the gym. As powerful as Articuno was, she didn't have the strength to carry three humans on her back, so Penny had reluctantly agreed to transform back to Pikachu for the duration of the trip. In order to keep the peace, and remembering Suzie's words, Ash had promised her equal snuggling time once this whole affair was over.

A gentle pressure of his knees into her sides made Articuno's cry echo through the overcast sky. As Ash had hoped, Misty's sisters came running out to investigate and stopped short at the sight of him and Misty dismounting from Articuno. Lily and Violet looked stunned, a new appraisal of Ash evident in their stares. But if Daisy was impressed, she took great pains not to show it. "I thought I said for all three of you to come?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Ash.

"But we did," Ash insisted as Pikachu scampered down from his shoulder. Misty, who already had Penny's clothes at the ready, placed them on the ground for Pikachu to climb into. She did so, rustling around in there to try to get herself and anything in position.

The sisters looked on, not knowing what was happening, until Penny emerged from the pile with her outfit mostly in the right place. "Hello ladies," she said, adjust her cap and smirking as all three facefaulted. "For the first time, I was actually looking forward to that," she giggled, getting Misty to do the same.

Daisy was the first to recover, but the other two were not far behind. "That answers one of our questions," she said, striding around Ash and grabbing his shoulders from behind. "But believe me," she stated as she marched him into the gym, "we have a lot more."

Ash tried to squirm away, but Daisy dug her nails into his skin to make him stop. He glanced at his girlfriends as he was pushed through the front door and found them in similar situations. He knew he could get away if he really wanted to, but that threat still hung over Misty's head; he was not going to risk it.

Ash, Misty, and Penny were brought to a waiting area and forced to sit on one of the couches with Ash between the two girls. They each grabbed onto an arm, holding on tightly as Misty's sisters stepped in front of them, staying standing to look down on the three. "Like I was saying," Daisy started, "our first question was going to be how could this happen. Now that we know who the 'other girl' is, we really don't need to ask."

"Anyone who ever met you can see the bond you and Pikachu have," Violet agreed. "Oh wait, what was it you called her on the phone now? Penny I think?"

"It doesn't matter," Lily sighed. "Though I'm sure this is an interesting story we'll all want to hear some day, it does not change one simple fact. A man cannot love two women at the same time in the same way. If he tries, all that you'll find is heartbreak." Both of her older sisters nodded, and the way their faces were shadowed made Ash think they may have had some experience in that department.

"You're wrong," Penny said very quietly, looking at each of the sisters. "Of everyone I've ever met, human and pokémon alike, no one has a heart as big as Ash does. Believe me, if he says he loves the two of us, then he loves the two of us."

"You've never been the focus of it," Misty agreed, cutting Daisy off before she sould say anything. "The best way for me to describe it would be overwhelming. There's just no other word for it."

Daisy clenched and unclenched her fists slowly as Lily and Violet each grabbed a shoulder to help her calm down. "Let's assume for a moment that what you both say is true," she said, controlling her anger as best she could. "What's to stop him from falling in love with a third girl? Or a fourth? Or a fifth?!"

Misty and Penny were on their feet in seconds, which brought the other three Cerulean Sisters to their feet as well. "You're crazy," Misty spat. "Penny and I have known Ash for over a year now. He's not going to just go off and get himself a harem! What kind of guy do you take him for?"

"And just how can you know that?" Lily countered. "With you two around he's probably never even been tempted before. You don't know what's going to happen when he's away from you and there are willing women around. Trust me, if he can't choose now, he won't stay faithful then."

"You're wrong," Misty said, echoing Penny's earlier words loudly. "Ash would never stray from us, no matter the circumstances."

Daisy fixed her youngest sister with a penetrating glare that almost made the redhead back down; almost. "How sure are you of that?"

"If you think I'm wrong than prove it!" Misty screamed before Penny could stop her.

"Deal," the three sisters chorused and Misty immediately knew she'd been had. Even if she hadn't, the smack Penny delivered to the back of her head would have clued her in.

Penny desperately wanted to transform so she could Thunderbolt Misty, but it would've made the situation worse. "You three cannot be serious about this," she said, trasnferring her glare to Misty's sisters.

The sisters shared a look and smiled. "Oh we're very serious," Violet said matter-of-factly. "No man can resist one of us, let alone all three. We'll have Ash be putty in our hands in a couple hours."

"And if you back out now, we'll all know that you don't believe in Ash as much as you say you do," Lily added as the final nail in the coffin. "Which means we'll keep Misty here no matter what we have to do."

Now Penny wanted to Thunderbolt all of them, but she kept her composure, if just barely. "You might have us backed into a corner, but you're crazy if you think we're just going to let you have free shots at Ash," she growled and she could swear she felt her hair starting to frizz. "There are going to be some ground rules that you are going to have to follow."

As the five ladies started to put their heads together, Ash finally found his voice. He could not believe it had gotten this far and had just sat there like he was watching an inevitable train wreck. But that stopped now. "Hey, don't I get any say in the matter?" he demanded, starting to stand up.

In an instant, five faces were in front of his, each one yelling, "No!"

Ash sat back down, sweat running down the back of his head. "Just checking," he grumbled, not happy that his fate was out of his hands. It took a few hours during which Ash had fallen asleep because he had no input in the decisions at all. But eventually the Fiendish Five, as he had come to refer to them in his mind, had settled on ten rules that they were all satisfied with.

1. Ash must stay in the gym tonight and for 3 full days. Each sister gets only one day to seduce him.

2. No sister may receive help in any way on her assigned day.

3. For his first night, Ash will have a chaperone with him that is not Misty or Penny to prevent the girls from jumping the gun.

4. Each day begins and ends at sunrise.

5. Ash may use his assigned bedroom as a safe haven between 8:45 PM and 7:30 AM. No one may enter his room at any time without his permission.

6. Misty and Penny will only be allowed in the gym during normal business hours. They cannot actively impede any of the sisters' efforts by showing Ash more affection than normal.

7. The sisters must dress in an appropriate fashion for being outdoors between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM.

8. The sisters cannot be physically affectionate toward Ash unless he clearly initiates such contact.

9. If such contact happens, they cannot pursue him if he manages to break it off and walk away.

10. No pokémon may be used by either side during these three days with the exception of a sanctioned battle or gym business.

Once the rules were written down, all five of them signed it as if it were a contract. Only then was Ash able to see it, and he really didn't like what he saw. "This is crazy! I'm not going to agree to this!"

"Then you admit we win," Violet taunted him. "And that you lose. Especially since Misty's future doesn't seem to mean that much to you."

Both Misty and Penny smacked their foreheads at the challenge. If there was one thing that Ash did not like to do, it was lose. At anything. And that was proven yet again as Ash snatched up a pen and signed his name to the rules as well. "I'll be back tonight," he said, slamming the paper to the table and storming out, leaving Penny and Misty to catch up to him.

"I've never seen him this intense," Penny whispered, having to run to catch up to him.

Misty flashed her a secret smile. "I have," she said, remembering when Ash had braved one of Team Rocket's headquarters to save Penny, then just Pikachu. If Ash was half as determined now as he was then, her sisters wouldn't know what hit them.

Ash didn't slow down until he reached the Pokémon Center, and even then storming over to the booth where Brock and Suzie were waiting. He explained the situation in short, angry sentences with Misty and Penny supplementing the story as needed. When he was finished, he just sat there and stared at his hands, trying not to lash out at his friends.

"This is bad," Brock said, leaning back and covering his eyes with his hand. "No offense Ash, but I don't envy you at all. One of those sisters would be hard to resist. But all three? You don't have a prayer."

"Shows what you know," came the voice of Ash's defender. Surprisingly, it was not Misty or Penny that spoke up, but Suzie. "Those three won't even be able to turn Ash's head.

Both Misty and Penny seconded that idea with a smack to the back of Brock's head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Brock," Ash muttered. "I guess that means you won't be the chaperone."

Brock frowned, thinking about the changes in himself that he was trying to make. Truthfully he did not trust himself that much at this point, but he didn't want to admit it either. It was safer for him to let them disqualify him because of what he believed or what they thought he believed. "Guess not," he agreed. "But if not me then who?"

"I'll do it," Suzie said, to everyone's surprise. "It's not like we have much of a choice anyway; we can't exactly get Ash's mom or anyone else here in time. At least they won't try anything with another girl around." While it wasn't exactly an ideal situation, she was right in that it was the best they could do.

The rest of the day passed quickly, as days often do that you don't want to. Either Penny and Misty always stayed in contact with Ash as if trying to reassure themselves that it would all turn out right. For his part, Ash went along with anything they said or wanted but never initiated the contact himself.

As the sun was going down, he kissed Misty and Penny each once before trudging off in the direction of the gym. "Don't forget me," Suzie called, slinging a small bag over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up with him.

"Oh, sorry," he said, watching his feet as he walked. "Guess I forgot you were coming."

Suzie placed her hand on Ash's elbow, gently tugging on it to make him stop. "You've been acting weird since you got back from the gym. And not in a way I'd expect," she tacked on before Ash could say anything. "I figured you'd be all over your girlfriends just like they were with you. But it almost seemed like you didn't want anything to do with them."

"Nothing almost about it," Ash grumped. "Why should I have to prove anything to them?"

"Them being...?" Suzie prompted

"All of them! Misty and Penny should know better and they're the ones that matter here! I couldn't care less about what Misty's sisters think."

She let him rant on and on about the unfairness of it all and only spoke when he paused for breath. "I'm the wrong person to talk to about trust issues," she pointed out. "Remember how I feel about Brock being girl- crazy? One day of controlling it does not make him trustworthy."

"At least you have the right to feel that way. Brock's actually done that; I've done nothing."

"So kissing me counts as nothing?" she asked, her expression falling as a sniffle making its way into her voice.

Ash's heart sank at the not-so-gentle reminder and the way she was saddened by his thoughtlessness. "I didn't mean it like that!" he protested. "Of course it wasn't nothing, but didn't we both agree it was a spur of the moment thing? And as far as I know, neither Penny nor Misty know about it so they can't exactly hold it against me."

"And you need to remember that, no matter what happens in there."

Ash stumbled a second, caught off guard by Suzie's sudden change in demeanor. "What do you mean?"

Suzie stopped and turned to look at Ash with a cool, calm gaze. "I have faith that you'll pass this Ash, just like I said before. But it's going to be very hard to control yourself completely around all three of them if the stories I've heard are correct. If you falter for just a second, even to where you kiss them, that does not mean you have failed. Don't give up, no matter what."

He let that all sink in before grabbing a surprised Suzie in a tight hug. "Thank you," was the only thing he said, but it was enough.

Suzie hugged him back after a second, letting him stay within her embrace until he had recovered himself. She was becoming very fond of the young man in her arms, almost to where she could see him as the younger brother she always wanted. That wasn't completely accurate however, as there were seeds of a deeper emotion planted within her. But as long as Misty and Penny treated him right and Brock didn't mess up again, she would not allow them to grow.

The sisters were waiting for them at the gym and they were rather unhappy to see Suzie, as she had predicted. "So, where are we staying for the night?" she asked with a smile just to needle them a bit for putting Ash through this.

Lily's and Violet's lips curled up in distaste but Daisy maintained a neutral expression. "You will be leaving at sunrise," she reminded Suzie before leading them to what would be Ash's room for the next four days. "Get a good night's rest Ash. You'll need it."

No sooner had Daisy opened the door than Ash realized there would be a problem: there was only one bed. A large bed sure, more than big enough for two people to lay down on comfortably, but a single bed nonetheless. "Umm, Suzie?" he began.

"Don't even think about sleeping on the floor," Suzie said, taking her bag behind the room's changing screen. "I know you Ash and I know you're trying to offer the bed to me. Not happening. Either we both sleep on the bed or we both sleep on the floor."

There had to be a good reason to refuse her, something he could use to convince her that this was a terrible idea. But anything he came up with he just as quickly shot down. Before his brain could find anything even remotely believable, Suzie stepped out from behind the screen dressed in a pair of conservative, if bright red, silk pajamas. "Red?" he asked dubiously.

"They were a gift," she insisted, though the blush of her cheeks betrayed her. She peeled back the top cover of the bed to show a second sheet underneath it. "One of us sleeps under both, the other sleeps between them. Will that satisfy your honor?"

That was when his brain just gave up. "Fine," he said, defeated, taking his pajamas behind the screen. "I'll be out in a minute." The sun was supposed to rise at 6:30, so Suzie made sure to set the alarm for 6:00. The room was a little chill, to be expected in a water Gym, so Ash offered to let Suzie sleep under both the sheets.

Despite the oddness of the situation, both Ash and Suzie found that they were able to settle down easily and fell asleep fairly quickly with a minimum of fuss. Though he had fallen asleep quickly, the sensation of sharing a bed with someone kept waking him up. Whether it would Suzie's arm smacking him in the face or the mattress moving as she turned on her side, he found it impossible to stay asleep. As he closed his eyes for the fifth and hopefully final time, he wondered if he'd even be able to function come morning.


	2. Day 1 - Lily

"Triple Trouble"

Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.

#10

Part 2: "Day 1 - Lily"

When the alarm went off he went to shut it off, but he found himself far too comfortable to move. He almost swore he could feel something holding him down on the pillow; one much more plush and firm than the one he remembered falling asleep on. It was a struggle for him to even open his eyes.

Once he did, he was treated to an unexpected sight. His head wasn't actually on a pillow, but it was pillowed on Suzie's chest. His face exploded into a bright red blush and he tried to move his head once more without waking her up. That's when he realized that he was actually being held down on his "pillow" by Suzie's arms, a grasp that tightened as he tried to pull away. The thought crossed his mind to wonder how this could get worse, but he quickly dispelled it, knowing better than to tempt fate.

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Suzie groaned as her arm flew out and slapped the alarm clock off. Ash tried to move again before she was fully awake, but the motion made her look down, her eyes snapping open. In the time it took for Ash to start stammering an apology, she was able to take stock of the situation and figure out what had happened.

Her surprised expression melted into an amused smile as Ash continued to babble. She placed her finger on his lips to stop him and had to giggle at the blush on his cheeks that made him look absolutely adorable. "It's all right Ash," she said. "It's pretty clear that I'm the one who grabbed you. And I wouldn't be mad even if you had done this; you're pretty cuddly!"

Ash's mouth dropped open and he quickly wriggled from her grip and dove behind the screen to dress and to calm down, throwing on his regular clothes sans his hat and jacket. Had she just flirted with him? The possibility left him feeling warm, uneasy, and confused. With what lay ahead of him, it was best to just put it out of his mind and prepare himself.

As had been agreed upon, Suzie was out of the gym with the rising sun. Ash had one hour between that time and when he had to leave his room, and he didn't know what to do with himself. Waiting had never been a strong point of his, and he didn't want to give the sisters more time than he absolutely had to. Making strategies was a useless task since he was way out of his element here. There was no way to know if anything he could conceive of would come to pass. By the time 7:30 came around, he had at least managed to screw up his courage to leave the bedroom without being called for.

Once he had closed the door, the most interesting scents tickled his nose and made his stomach grumble. That was when he had realized he had gone far too long without eating. It was all he could do not to break into a run and find whatever smelled so good!

When he reached the kitchen, he found both Daisy and Violet sitting at the table picking at a plate of fruit and drinking some strong coffee. Ash couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the sight. Yeah, he liked fruit and all, but for breakfast? And besides, that couldn't be what smelled so good, could it?

"Good morning Ash," Lily said from over by the stove, flashing him a warm smile. She was dressed in a bright orange, midriff-bearing tank top and a matching pair of shorts that showed off every inch of leg she had. Over the outfit to protect it while she cooked was a simple white apron that declared "Kiss the Cook!" in bold red lettering. "Go on and sit down," Lily added, turning her attention back to the sizzling frying pan, "I'll bring over your breakfast as soon as it's done."

"Umm...ok," Ash said, wincing at how dull he sounded. He slid into one of the empty seats and looked nervously at Violet and Daisy. For the moment they seemed to be more interested in their breakfast than in him. He had the sneaking suspicions that they were in fact focused on him, but he wasn't about to bring attention to it.

He only had to wait a few minutes before Lily walked over with a huge plate filled with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. He thought it had smelled wonderful before, it was absolutely irresistable now that it was set in front of him. Pausing only long enough to mutter a quick "thank you", he grabbed the nearest fork and dug happily into his eggs.

Ash swallowed three mouthfuls of eggs before realizing that something was off. It wasn't that the eggs tasted bad; quite the opposite actually. But they did taste...different, more flavorful than any eggs he'd had in the past. He glanced over to Lily, who had ditched the apron and was sitting down across from him, wanting to ask what was so different about the eggs but not sure how to phrase it right.

Lily caught the look and simply grinned at him. "Wondering why the eggs taste so different?" she asked, guessing what he wanted to know. When he nodded, she explained. "I like my food on the spicy side, and regular eggs have always been a bit bland to me. So when I cook them, I add in things like pepper, garlic, cheese, and a bit of barbecue sauce. Gives them a nice little kick of flavor, don't you think?"

"They're great!" Ash agreed, digging in with renewed vigor. "Aren't you having any?"

"I already ate," she said with a shrug. "Besides, I like seeing people enjoy my cooking. It's not often I get to cook for someone who appreciates it and is cute to boot!" That comment made Ash pause just a second in his eating. Lily might not have noticed it had Ash's ears not also gone red.

While Ash was polishing off the meal, the other two sisters excused themselves from the table saying that they had to get the gym ready for the day's challengers. It took him a little bit to realize that he was alone with Lily, and he quickly finished his plate when he did. "Don't worry about that Ash," Lily said when he moved to take his dish to the sink. "I'll wash it when I wash the rest of it."

"Yeah but..." he tried to protest, but she simply stood up and took his plate from his hands, effectively ending the argument. Her fingers had seemed to linger a little as they brushed his, making his skin tingle a bit. He looked at her in surprise, rubbing his hands on his pants to rid himself of the odd sensation.

With nothing else to do, and with Lily busy taking care of the dishes, Ash walked through the gym, doing a bit of exploring that he hadn't been able to do the first time he'd visited. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, just trying to waste time until the gym opened and his girlfriends arrived. A goofy smile made its way to his lips at that thought. His girlfriends. It still made him a bit giddy to think like that, and in some way he hoped it always would.

He finished his circuit of the gym, ending up in the main lobby right as it opened up for business. No sooner did Daisy unlock the doors than she had to dive out of the way as two girls charged in, making a beeline for Ash. He had just enough time to set his feet before he was double-glomped. Somehow he managed to support their weight and stagger over to a couch before falling back with them on his lap.

Daisy cleared her throat loudly as soon as they landed on the cushions, crossing her arms and shooting the three a glare that reminded them all very effectively of the rules that had been laid out just the day before. With glares of their own, Misty and Penny reluctantly disentangled themselves from Ash's embrace and sat very primly to either side of him, though keeping a hold on his hand. "Happy?" Misty asked archly.

"Very," was the answer, but not from the sister they thought. Lily walked into the room and sitting in a chair by the others. "Unless you don't mind me joining in; looked really comfortable!"

"We mind," both Penny and Misty said together, Misty frowning at the way her sister was dressed.

Lily noticed Misty's look and just smiled. "Ash likes my outfit, right Ash?" she asked, blowing him a kiss and spinning around for him to get a good look at her.

Ash had to admit she did look good; but then there wasn't a single Cerulean Sister that didn't, Misty included. He was about to say so when he felt the grips his girlfriends had on his hands tighten just a bit, especially from Penny. He may still have been a novice in the interactions between men and women, but even he knew a warning when he felt one. "You look nice," he answered neutrally, drawing a frown from Lily and smiles from the ladies at his sides.

"Oh fine," Lily pouted prettily, pulling a chair up and sitting down across from them. "So tell me Ash," she started in a sugary voice, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, "you've been traveling around now for just about a year now, right? You must have had some really exciting adventures and battles."

"Oh you know it!" Ash said excitedly, infinitely gladder to be on a subject he was comfortable with. "I've had more battles than I can count!"

"And I know you've just won them all, right?" Lily gushed, causing Penny to roll her eyes. As if Ash would ever admit to losing a battle, even if everyone knew the truth. She even opened her mouth to contradict the pink-haired girl when the most surprising thing happened.

"Actually," Ash said slowly, "I haven't won every battle. I've lost a fair amount to tell you the truth."

Silence greeted his admission as the others just stared at him. Ash shrugged as if it was no big deal. He knew they probably thought he was being mature in accepting his defeats, but the truth was a lot less noble. With Penny and Misty sitting right there, he didn't want to disappoint them by lying about it. What they thought of him meant more to him than his own ego. "Why don't I tell you about some of my big battles though?" he offered, the continued quiet making him edgy.

Lily quickly agreed, finding she had a bit more respect for Ash. That respect only grew when he started with, of all things, his initial gym battle with Brock that he lost. He wasn't just paying lip service to his words, he was actually backing them up, unlike a number of men she knew. The smile she gave the young man seated across from her, no longer a little boy in her eyes, was quite genuine as he continued to talk. Even the compliments she was showering him with, much to Misty's annoyance, were coming more from her heart.

As the day wore on, Ash got more animated with his storytelling, using his arms to better describe the battles. This, of course, meant that he wasn't holding hands with either of his girlfriends, which did not sit well with them. But knowing how he was, they couldn't get too upset about it.

They all lost sense of time listening to Ash, so it was with some surprise that Daisy came by to let them know that the gym was closing. Penny and Misty wanted to argue and plead, but they both knew what the rules were. A long hug and kiss from each of them and Daisy escorted them out, leaving Ash and Lily alone. "Shall I continue?" he asked, ready to launch into another story.

"As fascinating as hearing about your battles has been," Lily said, standing up and stretching out her back, "I'm actually in the mood for a swim. Feel like joining me in the pool?"

Ash was about to agree when he thought better of it. Lily had been acting pretty tame for someone who was trying to attract his attention. Could this be a part of her plan somehow? Maybe she meant she would be...skinny dipping? He fought hard to keep the blush from his face at that thought.

But wait, hadn't the rules said something about dressing outside appropriate during the day? If she pulled something like that he could call foul and end her chances for the day. But she wouldn't take that risk, right? "Sure Lily," he said confidently, "just let me run to my room and change."

"I'll meet you there," Lily said with a smile. She winked at Ash and blew him another kiss before strolling off to her room. Ash ran to his room, excited at the prospect of being able to get some swimming in.

The mood wasn't so great among Penny and Misty as they walked back to the Pokémon Center. "Is it weird that I miss him already?" Penny asked, pulling the bill of her hat down to shade her eyes from the late afternoon sun.

"I was missing him before we left," Misty admitted, wishing she had not left Togepi with Brock just so she could have the little egg pokémon in her arms to cuddle. "I really don't like the idea of him being alone with her all night."

"I don't either," Penny said, tossing her arm around Misty's shoulders as they walked. "But even if we don't trust her, we need to trust him. Remember what Suzie told us when we got to Pallet Town?"

Misty nodded quietly, remembering those words well. "Love is built on trust," she whispered, trying her best to cling to them.

By the time they reached the Pokémon Center, Ash was already in the pool inside the gym, taking advantage of the warmed water. He'd heard of indoor heated pools before, but this was the first time he'd actually been in one. It was far more pleasant than swimming in that ice cold water that Misty preferred.

"Enjoying yourself Ash?" Lily asked, wearing a bright pink sarong that matched her hair perfectly.

"It's great!" Ash said, splashing around with a grin. "Are you coming in?"

Lily nodded and carefully peeled off the piece of cloth wrapped around her body. Underneath was a bright orange bikini very similar to the one he had seen Misty wearing on the beaches of Cinnabar Island. In fact, it could have easily been one of hers seeing how tight it seemed on Lily and how little it covered, which he noted as a blush spread across his face. "I take it you like?" she asked, doing a spin for him like she had that morning, only this time without his girlfriends in attendance.

Ash's blush just got bigger as he saw just how much of Lily's rear end was exposed by her bikini bottom. "Hey!" he exploded, trying to keep his voice steady. "What happened to being outside appropriate?"

"Who says I'm not?" she asked in return, pulling a photo out of her top and showing it to him. It was of her, wearing the exact same bikini on a beach. "See, I wore this outside when I went swimming, therefore it's just as appropriate to wear while swimming inside."

Ash groaned and fell back into a float, knowing he couldn't win this argument. This did not bode well; he'd thought the rules that had been agreed upon, as opposed to this whole situation as he was, to be pretty airtight. But here was Lily, already having found a loophole to what he thought was one of the more basic ones. Things just got a lot more complicated.

He straightened up just as Lily dove into the water in front of him, swimming lazily underneath him. She was naturally graceful in the water, which came as no surprise to him. He had, after all, seen the act of the Sensational Sisters the last time he was there. And though he hadn't really wanted to admit it, he had been really impressed then. But that had been a choreographed act, this was just her and her love of swimming.

She surfaced on the other side of the pool, tilting her head up to the ceiling as she took a deep breath. Small droplets of water sprayed into the air around her as her pink hair flicked back behind her, making tiny rainbows dance across the surface of the pool. Ash stared at her profile for a moment, mesmerized by the beautiful scene before him.

Her dark blue eyes opened, dancing in happiness as she glanced sidelong at him. He knew he'd been caught staring, but didn't bother trying to hide it. A slow smile spread across her lips as he continued to watch her and she arched her back, letting out a small moan as she stretched. "You know Ash," she said, turning her body toward him, "you can do more than just tread water." She punctuated her words with a huge swing of her arm, sending a wave at Ash's face.

"Cut it out!" he laughed, knocked out of his daze and splashing her back. She squealed and launched another wave at him, even though her aim was a little off. Ash was able to dodge it and counterattack with a flurry of waves. Unlike his water war with Misty, he actually had the upper hand here, forcing Lily to back up and keeping her on the defensive. It never once occurred to him that maybe he was beating her a little too easily...

In only a few minutes, he had her backed up into a corner, holding her arms up to protect herself as he closed in on her. "All right!" she cried between giggles, turning her back to Ash so that he couldn't aim at her face anymore. "I give Ash. I give!"

"Yes!" he crowed, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm the winner!"

"Indeed you are Ash," Lily said softly, slowly spinning back to face him. There was something different about the way she said his name that made him pause and look at her. Only now did he realize how close they were; any closer and he'd be pressed up against her. "And you know what they say, don't you?" she whispered softly. "To the winner goes the spoils."

He didn't have to wonder what she meant by that for long. She tilted her face to the side and slightly puckered her lips, offering them up for a kiss. Ash swallowed nervously, his breath hitching in his chest. He found himself leaning closer to her unthinkingly, his own lips puckering up.

It was only the barest brush of lips, barely even enough to be called a kiss, but it made Lily gasp in surprise. She was no stranger to kisses, far from it in fact, but never had one made her lips tingle so pleasantly. She leaned forward, eager for a more deep and satisfying kiss, needing to know how that would feel.

But in doing so Ash became aware of just what was going on and he backed away before she could. He swam over to the side of the pool quickly, ignoring Lily's calls of his name. Climbing out of the water without a word, without even a glance back, Ash grabbed a towel and took off toward his room at a fast walk.

Lily watched him go, sinking back into the water up to her chin. She was disappointed that he had left like that, that he had escaped her little ploy. But to her surprise, there was far more disappointment that he had not continued to kiss her, just for the sake of the kiss. That worried her a little; this wasn't supposed to be getting personal like that. Maybe she had better take some time to refocus herself.

While Lily attempted to do just that, Misty and Penny endeavored to do the same. "I've had it!" Penny declared, jumping up and heading for the door. "Enough of this stupid bet! I'm getting Ash out of there now!"

"We can't," Misty reminded her, again, needing Suzie's help to drag her back. "Ash will be all right, we both know that!"

"Well I can't just sit here and do nothing," Penny grumbled, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to go bonkers!"

Brock was about to suggest they all go for a walk, in the opposite direction of the gym, when alarms started blaring through the place. He was the first one out of the room into the main lobby, all the girls hot on his heels. "Nurse Joy!" he called, then stopped short at the sight before him. The others crashed into him, but he was able to keep them all from going down in a heap.

The area was filled with at least a dozen trainers. Injured trainers each with six injured pokémon around them. While the trainers were all in bad shape with a multitude of cuts and bruises, their pokemon were clearly worse off, a few so horribly hurt that Brock could see bone poking through skin. "What happened?" Suzie whispered, her hand coming up to cover her lips.

Nurse Joy bustled past them, looking harried and drawn. "I warned them," she muttered to herself over and over. "How many trainers are you going to let in there? It should've been blocked off months ago! I knew something like this was going to happen. Why didn't they listen to me?"

Misty's eyes grew huge as she pieced together what Nurse Joy was talking about. "They went into Cerulean Cave?" she asked, shocked by the thought.

"I'm afraid so," Nurse Joy confirmed. "I tried to dissuade them, but you know how some trainers can be. And now I'm so overwhelmed I can't even think straight!"

Brock leapt into action without even thinking about it. "You two go and grab some stretchers and gurneys," he said, shoving Misty and Penny toward the "Authorized Entry Only" doors. "Suzie, help me identify the worst cases for first treatment. Let's move!" Surprised by how he took control, the girls followed his orders without question. Nurse Joy, though surprised by the authoritative tone of his voice, shot him a grateful glance and got to work.

As frenzied as the activity was at the Pokémon Center, it was far quieter at the Gym. Dinner was on, and Ash was seated at the table like before. Only this time, he was making a clear point of not looking at anyone, especially Lily. He'd been a little too caught up in the moment back at the pool, and he knew it. Still, the way she had looked at him when she told him that he'd won... He tried to shake the thought out of his head, but it was too deeply ingrained to move.

What was he so worried about though? Like Suzie said, sometimes a kiss was just a kiss, and it didn't mean anything more than that. Yeah, that's right! It wasn't even that long of a kiss to begin with! It had been nice, sure, but not even on the same level as a kiss from Penny or Misty was. Even Suzie's kiss was better. Of course, if the kiss had gone on longer he might see it differently and...

He shook his head hard to stop that thought before it got any further. That was a dangerous path for his mind to travel down. And besides, Lily was coming over with a bowl full of dinner! Dinner was more important than any of this stuff anyway. And it would give his mind something else to focus on. With spoon in hand, Ash dove right into the food without even taking the time to register what it was that he was eating.

PAIN!

He hadn't taken more than a couple spoonfuls when his tongue exploded like it was on fire! Ash quickly grabbed a nearby glass of lemonade and downed the whole thing in just a few gulps. "I guess you've never had chili before, have you?" Lily asked, sitting down in the chair next to him with her own bowl.

"This is chili?" he asked, looking at the bowl in surprise. "I've had plenty of chili before, but nothing like this! It's so hot."

"Not hot Ash, spicy," Lily corrected with a giggle. "I'm not a fan of foods that just pack a lot of heat at the expense of flavor. Remember my eggs this morning? If you take your time and eat it slow, you'll appreciate just what I mean."

Ash looked at the bowl dubiously, but followed her advice and carefully spooned a little into his mouth. Now that he wasn't trying to shovel it down, he could taste a lot of different flavors hidden behind the heat. Oh it was still hot, hotter than anything he had ever had before, and he found himself drinking a lot of lemonade from the glass that Lily was only too happy to keep refilling. By the time he had gotten through three bowls of the chili, he'd lost count of how much lemonade he'd drunk.

But it didn't escape the attention of Lily's sisters, especially after she'd gone and fetched a second pitcher from the refrigerator. Violet raised a questioning eyebrow, but Daisy just smiled, having cottoned on to Lily's plan. Lily returned the smile even as she topped Ash's cup up yet again.

The night wore on and eventually the gym settled down as all four occupants made their way through their nightly routines and to bed. But a few lights still burned in the Pokémon Center despite the lateness of the hour. Only two people were still awake to see it, and they silently worked side-by-side under the harsh white glare.

Brock brushed the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had collected there. How many hours had they been at this? He couldn't even attempt to count right now. All that mattered was that they were almost done. Almost...but not quite.

Despite their honest attempts at helping out, all Misty and Penny were able to do were get in the way. Things might have been different if they had not been so preoccupied over Ash, but after the second time they had dropped an injured Voltorb they had been sent to their room with a scolding not to come out for the rest of the night.

Suzie had been infinitely more helpful; her knowledge of pokémon was easily on par with both Brock and Nurse Joy. Unfortunately, she had gotten used to working a set number of hours per day as a breeder and didn't have the stamina to work all night. She had gone to bed about an hour before when Brock had to shake her awake. She had gone reluctantly to be sure, but she hadn't had the energy to put up a proper fight.

Right now, only he and Nurse Joy were still going, and it was barely at that. But all they had to do was finish treating this one sandslash and they could finally rest. This pokémon had only superficial injuries, and while it was obviously in pain, it was the least injured of all the ones that had been brought in. It didn't take long, and soon it was resting comfortably in a special recuperative bed.

"Finally," Nurse Joy said, arching her back to stretch out the kinks that had developed over hours of non-stop work. "Thank you so much for your help Brock. Without you, I don't know how I would've been able to help them all."

"It was my pleasure," Brock started to say, but cut off halfway when he noticed Nurse Joy's eyes go glassy. "Nurse Joy!" he called, reaching out to grab her as she swooned. "Are you all right?"

"Mmfine," she muttered, trying to push away from him and back up to her feet, but far too weak to do so.

"You haven't eaten at all today, have you?" he accused. At her sheepish grin, he simply picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the kitchen. "Well then, I'm going to make sure you eat now and then it's off to bed for you.

Joy struggled weakly for a few seconds, but eventually gave in and curled her fingers around the edge of his vest. She was so embarrassed at being carried this way; the only thing that kept her face from being as bright as her hair was the fact that they were the only two awake at this time. But even through her chagrin she couldn't help but notice how easy he held her and the definition of the muscles that kept her aloft. It made her feel strange inside...warm and content and protected.

He wasn't anything like her other family members had led her to believe. Either they had been exaggerating his antics, or he had managed to calm down and mature since the last time she'd heard anything about him. The Joys were a close knit family, and there had been too many reports to discount them. A few had mentioned that he wouldn't be so bad if he was less aggressive. And it seemed like their wishes were coming true...and she was the first to see it for herself.

She slowly became aware that she had stopped moving and blinked her eyes, looking around. Somehow Brock had maneuvered her into one of her kitchen chairs and was already whipping up something that smelled absolutely delicious. Her stomach, completely empty from her forgoing meals that day, gurgled with such intensity that the sound echoed off the walls, furthering her humiliation.

Instead of the mocking laughter she expected, Brock met the sound with a warm chuckle that soothed her nerves. "Soup will be ready soon," he promised, adding a few handfuls of chopped vegetables to the boiling pot. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you have all you need. And I'm not leaving till you've eaten and I've gotten you to bed."

"He cooks, he's good with pokémon, and he's cute to boot," she murmured to herself dreamily. "What a guy!" Brock turned questioningly as he heard her say something, which just brought a surprised blush to her face. Of course, the judgment on how well he cooked was held until she tasted his soup, but once she did she just could not stop! Three bowls were devoured by the time her stomach was satisfied, and she had to stop herself from eating a fourth.

"Feeling better?" Brock asked, gathering up her bowl and utensils. Only once she nodded did he turn away. He enjoyed camping and being out on the open road as much as Ash did, but there was a lot to be said for having a fully stocked kitchen with which to do his magic. Not to mention an actual sink to wash everything in.

A low thud behind him made him turn around, even though he already had a good idea of what he'd find. Sure enough, Nurse Joy was on her hands and knees a few feet from her chair. Her head was bowed low, almost touching the ground, and a low moan issued from her lips. She made attempt or two to get on her feet, but her legs were too shaky to even get off her knees.

Brock turned off the water and was by her side soon after. "Now what did I just say?" he scolded her lightly, carefully turning her so he could pick her up in his arms. He noticed she didn't even bother to struggle this time, which showed just how tired she was. He knew that having a full stomach was helping to relax her and he was extra careful as he carried her toward her bedroom.

There weren't that many rooms in the back so it was as easy for him to find as the kitchen had been. It was pretty much as he'd thought it would be, a small room with a bed and dresser done up in different shades of pink and white. There were a few personal touches, like fresh roses and even a poster of the Nurse Joy family reunion, but only just enough to make the room not quite sterile.

Brock put her down on the bed gently, fussing over her a bit to help her rest more comfortably. He removed her shoes and her apron first, undid her hair loops so they wouldn't snag on anything while she rested, then placed her nurse's hat on her dresser. "There now," he said, pulling her blanket up and tucking her in. "You just rest up till morning. I'll close the gate to make sure you're not bothered till morning."

Nurse Joy smiled resignedly, already feeling her eyelids start to droop. "Wait," she murmured as he turned, making him stop and look back at her. Maybe it was because she was tired, maybe it was because he deserved it, or maybe it was just because she wanted to. Either way, her hand crept out from under the blanket, her fingers curling around the back of his neck. His little gasp of surprise was swallowed up as she sat up halfway and pressed her lips to his in a soft and gentle kiss.

Brock was stunned for a good second, thinking that there was no way this could possibly be real. Nurse Joy, one of his longtime crushes, was kissing him? It had to be a dream, it certainly felt fuzzy enough not to be real. But when her lips began to shyly move against his, everything snapped into the hard focus of reality.

He eagerly began to return the kiss, delighting in the quiet squeak she made as he leaned into it. He felt himself leaning forward and placed his hands down on the mattress to support his weight so that he didn't fall on her. One hand landed on nothing but blanket, but the other fell into the hair that fanned out atop the covers. Combing his fingers through her tresses, he was hard pressed to decide which was softer: her hair or her lips.

After a few moments, he wasn't really sure how long, Nurse Joy let her lips fall away from his seemingly in slow-motion, making the most out of the last few seconds of their kiss. The tip of her tongue snuck out to tentatively lick his lips as she laid down on the bed, a contented smile on her face. "Good night Brock," she murmured, letting her fingers trail around the side of his neck as she settled down into slumber.

Brock slowly straightened up as she turned on her side, watching her sleep. A quiet smile crossed her lips, and he found himself returning it. "Good night Joy," he whispered, tiptoeing toward and through the open door, closing it behind him quietly. What a night this had been! Helping Nurse Joy care for the pokémon, then caring for her, and even getting a kiss from it all! Nothing could make this a bad night.

He carefully opened the door to the room he was staying, hoping to not disturb the ladies resting inside. A soft murmur rose from one of the other beds, which Brock quickly recognized as Suzie's voice. Immediately a wave of guilt crushed his heart. What had he been doing kissing Nurse Joy like that when his girlfriend had been sleeping nearby? What was his problem?

He crept toward his bed, not even changing his clothes as he fell down on the waiting mattress. Sleep. Sleep would be good. When morning came he'd be able to make better sense of all this. Or at least, he hoped he would.

Much later that night, Ash awoke with a pained groan. He'd drunk so much lemonade at dinner that his bladder was already begging for release instead of waiting for morning. He thought about it for a moment, not really wanting to leave the surprisingly comfortable bed. But he knew if he did, he'd have to explain why he'd wet the bed. With another groan, he forced himself from the bed and ran to the bathroom down the hallway.

He just made it.

It was likely the longest he'd ever spent in the bathroom without sitting down, he noted with a bit of a blush. As he finished up and washed his hands, he was just glad that it happened so late at night so he wouldn't run into anyone, especially Lily. It was still her day technically until sunrise after all. The quicker he got back to his room, the better.

This time, he didn't make it.

"Well hello there Ash," Lily chirped from behind him in a voice that Ash thought was much too perky for this time of night. "Fancy meeting you out here."

He thought about not turning around and just continuing on toward his room, but that sounded a bit too much like cowardice to him. And Ash was not a coward. So he turned around in order to greet her and immediately wished that he was in fact more cowardly than he was.

Lily was standing there in what he at first mistook for the bikini she'd had on earlier. But the slightly thinner material, as well as the lace stitched on the garments, quickly made him realize that she was actually wearing only a bra and panties. A light, gauzy nightgown clung to her body, not hiding anything but tinting her skin underneath it a soft orange color. He suddenly felt a little exposed in his t-shirt and boxers, but refused to show his discomfort.

She smiled as she saw Ash staring at her, even feeling a little blush find its way onto her cheeks. She stepped softly over to him, spinning around once as she passed him. "Like what you see?" she whispered, stopping when she was between him and his room.

That was the third time she'd asked him that today, Ash realized, or at least some form of it. But unlike the other two times, she seemed more nervous about his answer, like she wasn't sure what to expect. One look in her dark blue eyes left him startled with what he saw.

Where did all her confidence go? It was almost like she was a different girl from the one that had freely flirted with him throughout the day. He had no idea why his opinion was suddenly so important to her, but he could see that she was hanging on his every word. He thought about answering evasively, as he had that morning. But with that look she was giving him, it was almost impossible to. "I really do," he said quietly.

Lily's blush only grew at his honest answer. Her attempts to refocus herself following the incident at the pool had failed miserably. There was something different about how she saw Ash now, something that made her want to capture his attention for her own purposes, not just this silly bet with his girlfriends. "You know Ash," she whispered, bending over a just a touch and licking her lips. "You never did claim your prize. And it's still here for the taking."

Ash had a feeling that this was coming, so there was no surprise when she offered her lips for a kiss like she had earlier that day. With a smile of his own, he pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss that lasted for a few good seconds. But as he felt her start to really get into it, he stepped back, needing to take more than one as Lily had leaned forward to try and prolong the contact. "Good night Lily," he said with that same smile, brushing a lock of her long pink hair behind her ear from where it had fallen in front of her face.

She watched as he walked around her, fighting the urge to reach out and grab him, before running back to her own room and slamming the door shut behind her. She threw herself down on her bed and quickly pulled the covers up to her neck, trying to force herself to go to sleep. This whole thing had backfired on her horribly. Not only did she not make him crack, she had seen a glimpse of just what Misty had told her...

And she knew it was something she would likely never find again.


	3. Day 2 - Violet

"Triple Trouble"

Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.

#10

Part 3: "Day 2 - Violet"

It was early the next morning when Ash was awakened by a sharp knocking at his door. A quick check of the alarm clock showed that it wasn't even six AM. "Hang on!" he called, or at least tried to; it was more of a loud moan of annoyance than anything. He tumbled out of bed, stumbled over to the door, and fumbled with the doorknob for a moment before remembering that he'd locked it. Finally unclicking it, he got the door open only to come face-to-face with a very annoyed pair of brown eyes.

Ash blinked sleepily at them before jumping back in surprise as his brain finally caught up to events, the door flying wide in his shock. "Hey, you can't be here," he began, conscious of the fact that he still only had on a t-shirt and boxers. He really needed to ask Misty and Penny to get him a pair of pajamas or something; this was getting embarrassing.

Violet, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by it at all, though that might have had something to do with the fact that she had on a fluffy green bathrobe that covered her from neck to ankle. "Oh relax Ash," she said with just a slightly condescending tone. "I know the rules, but listen, I need your help with something."

She needed his help? His instincts told him this might be another trap, but what was the harm in asking? If he didn't like it, all he had to do was say no and close the door. "What do you need?" he asked cautiously.

Violet bent to the side for a moment, picking up a long box wrapped in deep violet paper that matched her hair. "This is a present," she explained, shoving it into his arms. "I don't want the recipient, who's in this gym, to see what's inside before I'm ready to give it. Right now, this is the one place in this gym that's safe from prying eyes. So can I count on you to hide it?"

Ash looked from the box to her face and then back to the box. A present was it? That did make sense; since no one was allowed in his room without permission, it was the one place her sisters couldn't snoop without him being able to call the whole thing off. As curious as they might be, especially Lily, there was no way they'd risk it. "All right Violet, you got yourself a deal," he said, taking the box from her and sliding it under his bed. "Is there anything else you need or can I try to get another hour's sleep?"

"Don't sleep in too long," Violet cautioned with a smile. "Breakfast will be waiting for you when you get there."

"Yeah yeah," Ash said through a yawn, the promise of food not being able to cut through the tiredness that his early wakeup had caused. He muttered a few apologies, closed the door as gently as he could manage, and stumbled back to his bed. Another hour or two of sleep sounded absolutely heavenly, he thought as he his face hit the pillow.

But as Ash soon discovered, sleeping while you were trying to hide a surprise for someone was not the easiest thing in the world. It was obviously something important; maybe it was information on a new water pokémon! Ash had heard that there was a land out to the west of the Kanto region where new and exciting pokémon were being discovered all the time. He knew he had to get out there one day, but he still had unfinished business here. Knowing these sisters though, it was probably some kind of expensive clothing that Violet had found on sale. It made more sense given the size and shape of the box, but he couldn't be sure.

It was the not knowing that bothered him the most; if he only knew what was in the box he could get back to sleep with no problem! But peeking into a package he'd told her he would protect didn't sit right with him. Besides, it was already wrapped and there was no way he could make it look as good as the original. His mother had tried on occasion to teach him the trick of wrapping a present like this, but he had never gotten the hang of it. True, that had been five years ago, so maybe-

The alarm clock started buzzing as the time passed seven AM, and Ash wearily slapped his hand on it to shut it up. Ugh, this morning was not going well for him. As he prepared himself for the day, he found his thoughts drifting back to the box. Again. Maybe this was Violet's plan: to keep him distracted throughout the day to get an advantage on him. Well it wasn't going to work! Ash knew he was smarter than that; he wasn't going to be beaten by some mind game. More confident now, he dressed and headed out to the kitchen, ready to tackle anything that Violet would throw his way.

The scent of food reached his nose and made him pause before he reached the kitchen doorway. Was that...fish? No way, he had to be wrong. Who would serve fish for breakfast? It was crazy, it was unheard of! And as he entered the kitchen, he knew he'd be proven wrong.

He wasn't.

There on the table, in front of where he was eating yesterday, sat a plate of some kind of split and smoked fish perched on dry toast. There was a bowl of mashed potatoes next to the plate, in which there were some thick sausages, the only thing on the table he recognized. "Fish for breakfast?" he asked in surprise and a healthy bit of trepidation.

"Oh don't look so surprised Ash," Violet said, sounding a little annoyed at his reaction as she jerked off her green apron and tossed it over the back of her chair, showing off a tailored business suit that showed off her curves without being blatant about it as Lily's outfit had done the day before. Ash did take notice of how her body was a bit more mature and curvy than Lily's, but seeing as she was a full year older he wasn't that surprised.

"This is actually a very popular breakfast in a country halfway around the world," she informed him, sitting down with her own plate and bowl. "I get bored of the same things, no matter how much I love them, so I try to add some variety to my diet when I can."

"Like you need to diet?" Ash asked, sitting down in his own chair but eyeing the food warily. That was one thing he'd never understand about women. What was so great about being thin? If you didn't have any weight on you, then you didn't have any strength or endurance, certainly not enough to travel around and learn all about pokémon like Ash wanted to do. He might make jokes about Misty being on the scrawny side, but it was a healthy thinness; not one brought on by dieting overkill.

If he'd looked up, he would've seen a slight blush appear on Violet's cheeks from the unexpected compliment. "As pleasing as it is to hear that Ash," she said once she'd found her voice, "in this case 'diet' only means the food that I eat. Trust me, I eat more than any of my sisters do-"

"And we hate her for it," Daisy said as she walked in, heading right to the coffee pot and filling up her mug. "She's just one of those people who can eat a gallon of ice cream and not gain a pound. Disgusting if you ask me."

"Yeah, I love you too," Violet snarked a bit, blowing her sister a kiss before turning to her food and cutting off a piece of fish and toast to pop into her mouth. "Come on Ash, eat up! One thing that upsets me is somebody wasting food, especially if I took the time to make it."

Ash poked at the weird fish again and sighed. "All right, I'll try it," he muttered, copying her actions and closing his eyes as he closed his mouth around it. It was...different certainly. Different, but not bad. Not bad at all. "This is pretty good!" he said, digging into his food with gusto. "Hey Daisy, are you having some?"

"I'll pass Ash," she said, leaning back against the counter while taking another sip of her coffee. "Violet's tastes in food are just a little too odd for me."

"And like I keep telling you," Violet countered, though her eyes were locked on Ash instead of her sister, "you should always try a taste of what's offered to you before you just reject it." Daisy had to fight not to snort her coffee up her nose at the rather obvious double entendre that Violet had just tossed out there. But she couldn't hold it back when Ash rather naïvely agreed with her. If only the poor kid knew what he had just agreed to. And as she saw the predatory look that crossed Violet's face, she almost felt a touch sorry for Ash. Almost.

Breakfast took a little longer to get through this time, so Ash didn't have any chance to do as much exploring this time before the gym's doors opened up. And, just like yesterday, Misty and Penny were through them almost before Daisy had opened them. But instead of glomping Ash as soon as they saw him, they sought out Lily. To their expectation, and relief, the pink-haired Cerulean Sister had to admit that her attempt at turning Ash's head had failed. Vindicated, they turned around and glomped onto a trailing Ash, before Daisy forcibly reminded them that there were still two days left and still rules to follow.

As they returned to the couch they had occupied yesterday, Violet joined them as Lily had. But that was where the similarities ended. Instead of asking Ash about himself, she decided to share some things about herself. Her own likes, dislikes, but most importantly her dreams. "That's one thing that Misty and I share," she said, closing her eyes and letting a small smile fall onto her lips. "We both want to travel and see the world. But where she wants to go to all the romantic spots like Paris, I want to see all the old places, the ones where there is more history to it than people in it."

"That's a nice dream," Ash said, though he was obviously thinking about all the pokémon the world had to offer. Such wonders awaited outside the borders of Kanto, but he knew he had business to attend to here, first. His eighth badge called to him, and then onto the Elite Four to finally become Pokémon Master. "I have my own dreams here though, and I'm going to see them through no matter what. I'd love to hear all about your travels though if you ever get to go!"

"That would be no trouble at all Ash," Violet said with a smirk that sent shivers of warning down the spines of Ash's girlfriends. "I'm sure I could teach you so many things, both before and after my journeys."

Penny and Misty tensed up as they caught the hidden meaning behind her words, just as Daisy had earlier at breakfast. But Ash's unknowing answer of being an attentive student and a quick study brought completely different reactions in them. Penny got visibly agitated; if she'd been in her pikachu form then there would've been sparks flying from her cheeks. But Misty had gone rather calm and relaxed by contrast, even daring to send Violet a small victorious smirk. Penny was completely confused at Misty's response, which only added to her uneasiness.

Violet knew what was going on though. So long as Ash remained oblivious to her double meanings, she really had no chance of getting his attention. Surprisingly, it didn't much matter to her at the moment. Here was this boy, or more accurately a young man, genuinely interested in her dreams and wishes without using it as a way of getting close to her. Violet couldn't remeber the last time she'd met anyone like that; had she ever met someone like that? It was becoming easier to see the charm in him that had so obviously captured these two girls' hearts, and her own flirting was slowly becoming more heartfelt.

Soon they were all talking in depth about their own dreams and wishes for the future, and the day passed right along. It wasn't as much of a surprise when Daisy came to remind them that the gym was closing. But this time as she hugged him goodbye, Penny couldn't restrain herself. "Watch yourself Ash," she said, glaring pointedly at Violet, ignoring Misty shaking her head wildly.

"Watch what?" Ash asked, confused by the sudden warning after feeling that the day had gone by quite well.

"You still haven't figured it out? Ash, almost everything she's saying has a double meaning to it, and your answers are only making things worse! You have no idea what you've been agreeing to, do you?"

"Time to go Penny," Misty almost growled, grabbing her by the ear and dragging her friend over to the door before she could do anymore damage to the situation.

Violet just watched them go with a bit of a mocking wave, so glad that Penny had spoken up about it. Even now, she could see the gears turning in Ash's head as he tried to puzzle out the warning that had been given to him. It wasn't exactly a lightbulb going off, but once Ash's cheeks turned a bright pink, she knew she had him. "So Ash," she said, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, "care to share just what's got you so embarrassed?"

"I don't think you want to know about that," he muttered, bringing his cap down to hide his face for a moment. But then he had a crazy thought occur to him, and he saw no reason not to follow it through. "And if you did, then you probably wouldn't be someone I would share them with."

Oh ho, so that was his ploy now, was it? He thought he could match her in a battle of wits that she'd been playing before he even thought about leaving his hometown. He was certainly welcome to try, because that would just make things a whole lot more fun. Game on Ash, game on.

Outside the gym, a different kind of battle was getting ready to start, this one promising to be much more physical then mental. "What is your problem Misty?" Penny demanded once she'd freed her ear from Misty's vicegrip clutch. That girl could pinch harder than Ash's krabby! "I was just warning Ash to watch out because he was-"

"-Completely naïve about my sister's flirting?" Misty finished for her. "That was exactly my point! As long as he didn't know what she was up to, he was safe from her advances because they were going right over his head! But now that he's on the lookout for them-"

"-he's in trouble," Penny realized, dropping down on her knees as the full import of her actions hit her. "I just screwed up, didn't I?"

Misty just looked back at the gym, making a note to get Togepi as soon as she hit the Pokémon Center; she needed someone to cuddle, and the pokémon she considered her baby was probably just as needy. But before she could respond to Penny's obvious declaration, a commotion from down the road drew her attention.

"Wait!" two people yelled, hurrying up to the door and tugging on it. But the door was locked up tight thanks to Daisy's punctuality.

"You slowpoke!" the woman, a strangely familiar blonde groaned, smacking her companion over his head as her blue eyes flashed in annoyance. "We missed it by only a few minutes! I told you that we needed to hurry!"

The man, also strangely familiar with his shoulder length red hair and bright green eyes, rubbed his head and whined at the way the woman was treating him. "But Jeanie, I had to go! It's not my fault I couldn't hold it!"

"You were the one insisted on drinking that extra bottle of water at the Pokémon Center," Jeanie reminded him, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring him down until he backed down. "And now two minutes are going to cost us over twelve hours! Honestly Jake, you can just be so...so hopeless sometimes!"

"Apparently it's not just Ash," Penny said quietly, nudging Misty in her side with an elbow.

The two trainers jumped at Penny's comment, not realizing they had an audience watching their antics. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Jeanie apologized, smacking Jake in the back of the head again as he just stood there. "Well go on, apologize!"

"Oh don't worry about it," Misty said with a small smile. "It's no secret that boys are pretty hopeless about these things."

"It's not like they can help it after all," Penny agreed, combing her fingers through her hair and wincing when she found a couple knots. That was one thing she didn't like about her human form; fur was just so much easier to take care of.

"Hey!" Jake whined, before being cut off by an enthusiastic Jeanie.

"Oh finally, you girls sound like you understand just what I'm going through!" she all but squealed as she grabbed them by their hands. "Let me guess, your boyfriends are every bit as dense as my traveling companion over there, right?"

"Boyfriend," both Misty and Penny corrected together, glancing at each other with a little grin.

"Boyfriend?" Jeanie repeated, her ice-blue painted lips curling just slightly in amusement. "This sounds like a juicy story if you ask me! Come on!" she added, marching up between the two and hooking an arm around each of theirs. "As long as we have to wait for tomorrow, I might as well get in some time in my second favorite thing: girl gossip! Now tell me all about this guy."

Jake's face fell and he prepared to argue about it, but a single sharp look from Jeanie quieted him down. "Maybe there'll be a couple of guys I can hang out with there," he muttered, following along as Jeanie dragged her new friends off.

Neither Penny nor Misty were quite sure just what had happened here, but it would be a good way to spend the night at least. And yet, as she was pulled along back to the Pokémon Center, Misty couldn't help but glance back at the gym. "I just hope Ash doesn't try anything stupid," she murmured. Penny looked over at the girl and nodded quietly, echoing the sentiment.

Ash was certainly trying not to be stupid, but he was hampered by his inexperience and his general unease at the subject matter. Violet was quick to capitalize on this at the beginning and scored some easy points on him in her mind. Things were going just as she had expected it to.

But she didn't expect how quickly he was learning. The more he warmed up to their little tête-à-tête, the more he fired off a few zingers himself. Why, he was even managing to make her blush once in a while. Her! Blushing! She hadn't blushed for real since she was a preteen!

This was not how she had planned it. Ash was supposed to be a blushing puddle of goo in the face of her teasing before she moved in for the kill and won this bet. But here he was, holding his own against her, and she was being forced to scramble far more than she wanted to. And yet, she found she was enjoying this battle more than any she'd had in a long time exactly for that reason.

And Ash was getting bolder. His attempts at double entendre were amateur, but when he was more direct he had far more success. "Why Violet, do I have you flustered?" he asked behind a grin as he made her blush yet again. "And to think, all we're doing is talking. Makes me think you couldn't handle anything else."

Of course Ash had no intentions to follow through, just as he was sure all her words were bluffs and games. But then she uttered the three words that put Ash on the spot: "You wouldn't dare." The thing about those words, once they were uttered there was no going back. He never turned away from a dare, and today would be no different.

It was only the barest brush of lips, exactly the same as he'd done to Lily the day before. Being a little bit older, Violet did not gasp from the contact but instantly sought to deepen it. She managed to press her lips fully against Ash's for just a split second before he pulled away from her. Violet could only watched him as he walked away; she could almost feel his satisfaction at having proved her wrong. Again.

A frustrated whine left her throat as she threw herself against the back of the couch in agitation. She'd lost the game...when was the last time that had happened? She should be angry, should be furious at having been shown up like that. But as she searched her thoughts, the only negative emotions Violet could find was that she was upset at being left wanting.

Another person searching his thoughts at that moment was sitting on a small hill just outside the city limits, right across the river from the Cerulean Cave. Brock had been out here most of the day, telling Suzie that he needed some time alone with his thoughts. It was the truth, but he purposely didn't tell her about the nature of the thoughts he needed to be alone with.

Once again, he ran through the series of events the night before, wondering just how it had all happened the way it had. He'd helped out a Nurse Joy a few times in the past. Not this one specifically, but the results had always been the same. Thanks for the help, nervous blushing as he tried to put the moves on, and him going away dejected at another rejection.

Yet this time, the one time he had intentionally not put the moves on her in any way, he'd gotten a kiss out of things. And what a kiss it had been! So soft and sweet and tender and everything he'd ever thought it could be!

He shouldn't be thinking like that though, not now that he had Suzie as his girlfriend. She was everything he had ever wanted, and he was making the concerted effort to keep himself out of "girl-crazy" mode since they'd left Cinnabar. So why now, of all times, did he find the success he no longer wanted?

The more he thought about it, the more he ended up confusing himself. Maybe he was overthinking things, maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all. Yeah, and maybe he'd end up getting a kiss from the local Jenny too. This was all too much for him. Time to head back and-

Sounds of a struggle reached his ears, snapping Brock from his thoughts. A man and a woman were arguing, and he could hear a growlithe barking at something frantically. The fight was close, just on the other side of the hill, and Brock clambered up it to see what was going on.

"Stop struggling!" a black-clad thug growled at the woman in his grasp as he dragged her backward toward a waiting motorbike. One arm was around the woman's waist and the other aroud her neck. Brock couldn't see much of the woman around the man's portly body, but from the bare legs, the black heels digging into the ground to try and halt the thug's progess, and the frantic growlithe hopping around agitatedly, Brock had no doubts that she was Cerulean City's own Officer Jenny.

So why was the growlithe not attacking to save her? And then he saw it, the glint of metal near her neck. The coward! Using a knife to threaten her life and to keep the pokémon at bay. This was unconscionable; there was no way that Brock could let him get away with such an affront to honor. He snatched up a small rock in his hand as he stood up tall, Brock flung it at the crook's head.

It bounced off with a satisfying thunk, making the man stumble forward a step in shock. He turned to look to see what had attacked him and noticed Brock standing up on top of the hill. "Ahh, a wannabe hero," he laughed in a rough voice pointing the knife up at Brock. "You better stay up there before I show you just what happens to those who interfere-"

With a quickness born of practicing the maneuver many times, Jenny grabbed the man's outstretched arm and bent forward, hauling on the limb hard. The thief went flying over her shoulder to land hard on his back, but the strain from throwing a man that large was too much on her knee, and it collapsed on her before she could follow up.

Her growlithe tried to move in with a bite attack, but the thug was quicker. A flash of metal in the dying sunlight and the pokémon's blood splashed on the ground below from a gash in its side. "Growline!" Jenny yelled, trying to force herself to stand but only getting stabbed in the side for her trouble, dropping back down hard.

"You stupid cop," the thief snarled, forgetting all about Brock in the heat of the moment. "We coulda done this easy, but no, you didn't want to be smart cop. So now, you're gonna be a dead cop."

Jenny's brown eyes widened as she watched the guy approach. She held the wound in her side as she struggled to get up, but her knee would not support her. This couldn't be it; it couldn't end like this. She lifted her free arm to try and block the descending knife, hoping to buy herself just a little time. But before the blade connected, the man was tackled violently to the side by her savior.

Brock had rebounded a bit off the guy's stomach from the force of his charging tackle, but the crook had definitely taken the worst of it. "Go Onix!" he yelled, calling out his largest and most trusted pokémon. "Bind him!"

Onix was a little surprised at being told to attack a human that wasn't a member of Team Rocket, but once he saw the knife as well, he understood the danger. The man was reaching for a pokéball in his pocket, but Onix' large tail wrapped around him before he could enlarge it, releasing the pokémon within. He didn't want to hurt the man too terribly, but he had to be stopped before he could figure out a way free. Without his trainer's prompting, Onix used his tail whip to shake the man back and forth until his eyes rattled in his skull. Once he was sufficiently dizzy, Onix used his favorite move: slam. Though the ground was soft enough to prevent any permanent injury, it was clear that the man would not be getting up any time soon.

"Good work Onix," Brock said, returning him to his pokéball with a small grin. He wasn't that surprised that he'd acted on his own; all pokémon had minds and instincts of their own. It was only by building a strong trust between them that the wanted of the trainer and the pokémon would be in such perfect sync. With that taken care of, Brock immediately turned his attention to the nearby injured.

Growline's slice was mostly superficial; it would need tending but the wound had stopped bleeding for the moment. Jenny, on the other hand, was in pretty rough shape. The thug's knife had bit deep into her side, and her knee was swollen badly from when she had thrown him. "Easy, I got you," Brock said soothingly pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and pressing it against her side. "Press this against the wound to help the bleeding. And don't worry, it's clean," he assured her with a faint chuckle.

Jenny chuckled weakly at the joke, but the sound was cut off by a hiss of pain as her injury was agitated. "On the bike," she said, pointing at her bike that the thief had been trying to steal. "Growline's pokéball." Brock nodded in understanding and retrieved it for her, letting her recall her beloved friend into the pokéball safely. That was about all the strength she had though, as her arm fell limply to the grass and her eyes fluttered closed.

She wasn't unconscious, just resting her eyes to try and regain her energy. She could feel the need to sleep tugging at her though, but she fought it off. She had to get back to her station, had to get Growline looked at. But those thoughts were fading off just a little bit as she felt herself moving. Maybe she had lost more blood than she realized. Why else would she feel like she was flying?

She forced her eyes open only to find that she wasn't flying, she was being carried. The young man who had saved her was carefully carrying her over toward her bike, only to sit her down in the front seat. She appreciated the vote of confidence, but if he thought she could drive the bike anywhere in her condition, he was nuts!

Brock knew this, and he slipped on the bike behind her, reaching forward under her arms to grasp the handlebars. "You'll have to tell me which way to go," he whispered by her ear, starting the bike and warming up the engine. "We'll take it slow, but let me know if it's too much for you."

"A-all right," Jenny murmured, cursing the blush that had risen to her cheeks. So what if this handsome young man had just saved her life, so what if his arms around her were careful to hold her securely yet not jostle her injury, and so what if she felt safe for the first time that day! It should not be enough to make her blush. And yet it was, and she could not bring her reaction under her control.

Back inside the gym, Ash was just finishing up another very tasty, but rather exotic dinner. It seemed like these sisters definitely had the talent for cooking, but to his knowledge that gift had missed Misty completely. He had yet to try anything she'd made, but only because she always let Brock do all the cooking! It made him kind of nervous to wonder what kind of concoction she would come up with given half the chance, but he knew he'd eat it like the dutiful boyfriend that he was. Same went for Penny, if she could even cook at all.

"Hey Ash!" Violet yelled right by his ear, making him jump in surprise. She hadn't meant to scare him, but that was the third time that she had tried to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry Violet," he said, pushing away his plate and turning to face her, a little unnerved by how close she was and that she did not move back when he turned. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Violet grinned a bit at seeing him uneasy, but it was slightly offset by the blush she knew was staining her cheeks at being this close to him. "It's no big thing Ash, I was just wondering if I could go get that box now. It's almost surprise time and I want to get ready for it."

Ash glanced over at the clock, seeing that it was 6:00 PM. He couldn't go back to his room until 8:45 anyway, and there was no way it would take her that long to get it and get out. "Sure thing," he agreed, getting up and taking his plate over to the sink with two thoughts running through his head. One was that if food around the world was so tasty, he'd have another reason to travel other than pokémon. The other was that there was something just a little wrong with Violet's request. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, but he knew it would bother him until he figured it out. He only hoped that he could figure it out before it was too late.

While Ash pondered this, Brock was busy helping Officer Jenny into her police station, a small three-room office from which she kept tabs on all the happenings in the city. But right now, Brock was busy keeping tabs on her as he sat her down in a chair, concerned by how pale she was starting to look. "Where's your first aid kit?" he asked, trying to take a good look at her wound but unable to with her hand in the way.

"In the bathroom," Jenny moaned, wincing as even talking that much brought with it a fresh throbbing of pain. Brock hurried to the bathroom to retrieve it, and Jenny took the opportunity to try and inspect the wound herself. The edges of the slice in her uniform shirt were sticking to the injury, so he had to carefully peel the shirt off in order to get a good look at it.

It didn't look so bad; it had even already clotted over. But it hurt like nothing she'd ever felt before, even when Growline had accidentally caught her leg with one of her teeth. And speaking of her leg, she could feel how swollen her knee was. Fortunately it was also pretty numb at the moment, but she knew that it was going to hurt come morning. Nothing she could do about that, so she contented herself with poking at the scab, seeing just how bad the pain could get.

"Hey, cut that out!" Brock said as he came back in, actually smacking her hand away. The look she gave him reminded Brock of those moments when his siblings had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar back home in Pewter City. He tried not to laugh, he really did, but that look just made it impossible to do. Of course, that only made Jenny deepen the pout, which made Brock laugh harder. "OK, let's take a look and see how bad it is."

"It looks like it's fine," she started, until Brock actually ripped the scab off. Blood almost poured from the wound, which he quickly wiped away as he knelt down to see it clearly. "Yep, just as I thought," he said, getting a sterilized needle and thread from the kit. "It scabbed over, but if I don't stitch it closed, it's never going to heal right. It's too deep to heal on its own."

"If you say so," Jenny said, wincing as the curved needle pierced her skin and Brock began to close the wound. She was amazed by his knowledge on this, and his gentle touch to make sure the stitches were as small and as painless as possible. But what truly impressed her was his professionalism. Here she was, clad in a bright blue bra only inches from his face, and he only had eyes for her injury. How many guys would've taken the opportunity to ogle her? And in turn, each and every one would have gotten punched for their trouble.

Jenny had never been that comfortable around men. They either were afraid of her and her authority, or only were interested in her because of her good looks and fit body. But this guy was different, she could feel it somehow. He genuinely cared about her well-being, as well as her as herself. That was why when he was done stitching her up and wanted to look at her knee, she had no problems letting him even though that meant he was in the perfect position to look up her regulation skirt to see her matching pair of panties. And once again, his attention didn't waver from her injury once.

And this was completely against what she knew of him. Like the Joys, the Jenny family was very tight knit and shared a lot of stories. Even though this was her first time actually meeting him, she knew who Brock was. If anyone would be expected to be a pervert under these conditions it would be him. And yet here he was, treating her with more respect as a woman than she had ever been allowed.

"It doesn't feel like you tore or broke anything," he said, moving her knee around gently to test the range of motion. "Still, I'll get a hotpack to help relax it, but then we'll need to ice it to get the swelling down."

Jenny nodded, finding herself blushing and watching him as he headed back off to the bathroom. This guy was brave, good with pokémon, and knew a thing or two about patching people up. Add in that he was kind and respectful toward her, and he looked really good too, and he was everything she'd ever wanted in a man.

Brock returned in a few minutes with a not only a steaming towel in hand but her bathrobe as well. "Here you go, it's a little chilly in here," he said, draping it over her shoulders with a smile.

"Th-thank you," she returned, and her blush deepened as she heard herself stutter. She'd never felt this attracted to anyone. Ever. And as he sat down and talked to her while he wrapped her knee with that hot towel, it was just getting bigger and bigger.

After a few minutes, he took the towel off and helped her back up to her feet. "Let's get you laying down so we can get that ice pack on you," he said, slipping her arm around his neck to help her walk to her bedroom. That was just another little thing she liked about him; he wasn't carrying her like she was helpless, only offering his support to her. Yeah, he'd carried her to her bike before, but even she would admit that trying to walk under those conditions would've been bad for her health.

"I'll be back with the ice in a few minutes," he said, carefully easing her down on her mattress and helping her take her heels off. "Let me know when you're ready for bed and I'll come back in."

As soon as he'd left, she started making herself comfortable for bed, choosing to wear just a camisole and her panties. It was a little difficult to do on her own, but she managed it. She could've called him back in right then, but she wanted to test him for some reason, see if he would wait for her to say he could. And he did. In fifteen minutes of making him wait, the only thing he asked was if she was ok or not. "OK," she said finally, arranging her sheet over her body and trying to find a comfortable spot.

Brock opened the door with a bowl in his hands that he set on her night table. He moved her blanket aside from the bottom up until he revealed her swollen knee, and she was impressed even further by this. He took a different towel from the bowl and placed it on the swelling before pulling a chair back over to the side of the bed.

She wasn't surprised by it this time, and another ten or fifteen minutes passed in small talk to get her mind off the biting cold of the ice. She was almost sad when he took it off, wanting to have an excuse for him to stay. "I'll leave this here where you can reach it," he said, putting the towel and ice back in the bowl. "If it's still bothering you in the night you can use the ice some more, but not more than fifteen minutes at a time or you could get frostbite."

"OK," Jenny agreed, yawning as he covered her leg up with the blanket. As he turned to leave, her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. The look of surprise on his face was too adorable to resist, and she tugged him down to her, her lips catching his in a deep kiss.

For the second time in as many nights, Brock was stunned by a very unexpected kiss. But he had no doubts this one was real as Jenny was far more aggressive with her kiss than Joy had been, her tongue slipping into his mouth to deepen it further. He kissed back instinctively, but it was quite clear that she was fully in control here. It was as different from the kiss he'd gotten last night as night was to day. But it was no less enjoyable, by any stretch of the imagination.

When she finally let him go, making it last as long as she could, he was surprised to see an almost sultry look in her eyes as she wiped her lipstick off his lips with her thumb. "Brock, would you mind taking Growline to Nurse Joy to get her looked at?" she asked, to which Brock could only nod dumbly. She smiled, kissed him again lightly, and whispered a soft good night to him.

The next thing he knew consciously was that he was on his way back to the Pokémon Center with Growline's pokéball in hand. Two kisses, in two consecutive nights, by two of his biggest crushes of his life. If anyone had told him back in Pallet Town that this was going to happen, he would've certainly laughed, maybe cried, and even perhaps been angry a little bit. But there was no denying that it had happened. And now, staring at the Center that was coming closer as he walked, all he knew was that he had ended up with more questions instead of finding any real answers.

Brock's steps were straight and direct down the path, but Ash's were rambling as he explored around the gym. There had been no sign of Violet since dinner, so he was cautiously optimistic that he'd be able to get to his room without any incident. And this time he wasn't leaving it for any reason; he'd already made sure he wouldn't have another midnight bathroom trip.

And yet, he was sure he was missing something. Maybe he'd been so busy listening to everything she said to find a hidden meaning during that one conversation that he was seeing things is every word she uttered. He laughed to himself about it, a little woodenly but it did help him feel better. And seeing it was now past 8:45 PM, he could escape to his room and it wouldn't matter what she had planned.

As soon as he slipped inside the door he closed it shut with a sigh of relief. Two days down, only one more to go. At least this one hadn't been as bad as the first, but- "About time you got here," a familiar voice said behind him from the direction of his bed. "And here I thought you wouldn't keep a lady waiting."

Ash's back stiffened at that voice, but he forced himself to turn around and confront the intruder. "What the heck are you doing in here Violet?" he demanded, covering his nervousness with anger. "You know you can't be in here!"

"Actually," she began, crossing her ankles lazily as she laid on his mattress, for some reason wearing a long trenchcoat that covered everything from her neck to her knees. Ash knew that tone of voice by now, and he knew it meant that he had missed something important in her words, something that looked like it was now going to cost him. "You did tell me I could come and get that surprise I had you hide for me. You just never specified that I had to leave once I'd gotten it, now did you?"

Ash smacked himself a few times in the head at her statement, feeling every bit the idiot he was. "OK, you got me this time," he muttered as his palm slid down his face.

Violet gave a small giggle that sounded more like it should've come from Lily than her, and the blush on her cheeks showed that she had surprised herself with it. "Well, what can I say," she said a touch defensively, "that was cute. Now," she said, returning to her usual temperament, "would you like to see your present?"

"My present?" he repeated, confused by that idea. How could that present have been for him? It wasn't his birthday or anything. But as the clock struck 9:00 PM, she got up off the bed and unbuttoned her trenchcoat, making Ash gasp at her forwardness.

Fortunately for him, she was not naked underneath her trenchcoat. She did, however, have on a light green nightgown that fell to her knees and was curiously split down the front right up to the underside of her chest. The way it fell open gave Ash a very good view of her lightly muscled stomach, her long and toned legs that ended in a pair of heels she seemed perfectly at home in, and the matching pair of panties that she was the only other piece of clothing that she was wearing. For the longest time, Ash had never understood why women spent so much money on things they wore to bed or under their everyday clothes. But with what Lily had worn last night and now what Violet was showing him? He not only understood it now, he very much supported it.

Violet let out another giggle as she saw the unrestrained admiration in his eyes as he took in the lingerie she had purchased just for him. When she'd bought it yesterday, it was only to help her win the bet by any means she was allowed to. But after getting to know him today, she could honestly say that she wanted him to see her like this. "So Ash," she murmured as she stepped toward him, her heels clicking lightly on the floor. She loved to wear heels, knowing that they showed off her legs to the best view possible. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful," Ash said honestly, not even having to think about it.

She was touched by his honestly, and a small smile touched her lips as she stopped in front of him. "A lot of guys have told me that Ash," she said, making him look up in her eyes. "You're the first one in a long time that I can see means it without any ulterior motive. You're not saying it because you want anything from me. And that's why I want to kiss you Ash, when I never wanted to kiss any of them."

Ash knew that she was telling the truth, that this meant something very special to her, just as he knew that turning her down was not the right thing to do here. Just as with Lily, he leaned in and kissed her very sweetly but very briefly, even though he could feel she was hoping for more. "Good night Violet," he murmured to her, slipping his arm aroud her waist and walking her to the door.

Violet found herself a little wobbly on her heels for the first time since she had learned how to walk in then. She was glad for the support that he provided her as he escorted her out of the bedroom and into the hallway, not sure if she could've made it there on her own. Ash could've had any kiss he liked from her, and maybe even more than that despite the age difference, but all he had taken was the sweetest, most gentle kiss she had ever experienced. As she stared at the door after he closed it, a very unfamiliar feeling blossomed in her chest.

Jealousy. For what her sister Misty had despite being the "runt of the litter". And what Violet realized she herself so desperately wanted.


	4. Day 3 - Daisy

"Triple Trouble"

Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.

#10

Part 4: "Day 3 - Daisy"

When the alarm went off the next morning, Ash slammed his hand down on it irritably. There was no way it was already 7:00 AM. He must've set the alarm wrong last night. But no, the red LCD display clearly showed that the time and the alarm was correct. With a muttered groan, he threw aside the covers and rolled out of bed to get dressed.

He hadn't sleep well the night before; way too much on his mind that was even still there now. His encounters with both Lily and Violet, especially the nighttime ones, were really confusing him. It was almost like the contest had stopped being the driving force behind their actions in some way, but that made no sense. He'd spent the entire night thinking about it, but he felt he was no closer to an answer than he'd been when he went to bed.

One more day. One more day and he'd be able to leave this gym and the crazy but beautiful ladies in it behind him. The only problem with that was which one was waiting for him. Daisy. The oldest of the three, and the one that had been most insistent about their ability to make him stray. Lily had been pretty straightforward while Violet had tried to mess with his head. Just what did Daisy have planned? As he headed toward breakfast, he dreaded to see just what would be waiting for him this time.

Cereal. What was waiting for him was cereal. Not even hot cereal, but the kind grownups ate in the morning just to have something in their stomachs to get them through to lunch. To say that Ash was confused was a bit of an understatement. "Umm, what's this?" he asked, poking at the cereal box as if it held all the answers that he was looking for.

"Sorry I didn't have time to cook you anything Ash, but today's a very busy day," Daisy said over the lip of her coffee mug, her eyes and attention on a spiral notepad in front of her. She was dressed in a simple red blouse with the top two buttons undone and a pair of jeans. It certainly didn't fit the glamourous look that the Cerulean Sisters were known for, but she kept talking and he found something else to think about. "You know, it may not seem like it's all that big a thing, but running this gym is not simple. It takes up a lot of time and patience to make sure all the bills are paid and every battle is accounted for. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! As much as I hate to say it, don't expect to see me too much today."

It struck Ash as a little odd considering the bet that was in place, but he certainly wasn't going to argue the point. He kept glancing at her as he ate his cereal, expecting her to try to catch him off guard. But other than showing a healthy amount of agitation at whatever she was working on, there was no reaction out of her at all.

After breakfast was over, he just went to wait for Misty and Penny to show up since he had pretty much explored the whole of the gym by now. He was sure that Daisy would at least join him to make sure that his girlfriends behaved themselves. But the only one to wait with him was a subdued Violet, waiting to confirm that he had indeed passed her test. Of course, Ash was glomped again as soon as that was known, but this time there was no Daisy to tell them to knock it off.

That slowly became apparent to both Penny and Misty as they hugged Ash, though Misty was the first of the two to actually figure it out. "What's she up to?" the redhead muttered, looking around as if expecting Daisy to jump out at them any minute. Once Penny caught on to what she was talking about, her light brown eyes searched right alongside the aqua eyes of her friend.

"Well, she said she'd be busy running the gym today," Ash told them when it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon, especially when it took them away from hugging him. "She told me not to expect her around so much today."

"Oh really?" Penny asked, a very mischievous look on her face. "Well, if she has something planned today, she's going to be highly disappointed. Come on in you two!" she called.

Ash looked back toward the open door in confusion as it remained empty. "Come in...who?" Misty and Penny both looked toward the door and growled. Side by side, they marched back outside with their fists clenched down at their sides. Ash went to follow, but a couple of surprised squeals stopped him.

Two people who looked remarkably familiar to him were pushed inside soon after, and Ash had to scramble out of the way or be knocked over. "Meet Jake and Jeanie," Misty said, her hands firmly in the center of Jake's back as she pushed him down the hall. "We met them last night outside the gym just after it closed."

"They're here because they want a badge battle," Penny explained, forcing Jeanie forward in much the same way. "They're just a little shy at the moment, so we're convincing them to keep going!"

Ash just watched them head toward the main pool for a moment before shaking his head. If nothing else, Penny was right; if Daisy was planning something then an official badge battle or two would throw a wrench into her plans. And either way, it would certainly be a great way to spend some time!

A half-hour later and things were all set up. Daisy stood on one platform in that bright red bathing suit that Ash had first seen her in, looking as intense as Misty did right before a battle. This was definitely a far cry from the time when she was just going to give him his Cascade Badge. Maybe not having Misty around for this past year had made her take these things more seriously. "There are two challengers for a Cascade Badge," she said in a clear voice. "OK, here are the rules. Each battle will be one-on- one, no time limit. In the event of a draw, the challenger will not receive a badge. As the gym leader, I will choose my pokémon first. Now go! Starmie!"

Jake was standing on the other platform as the starfish pokémon appeared in the water below. He looked very nervous, despite all the cheering that Ash and the others were doing for him, or maybe because of it. He pulled a pokéball from his pocket and was about to throw it, but he stopped himself. Ash couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment, but he switched that pokéball for another one. "Go! Beedrill!"

"Now that's an interesting choice," Daisy said, a smirk appearing on her lips as Jake's pokémon buzzed over the surface of the pool. "Coming to a water gym and not bringing a pokémon that's strong against water. Too late to change now though. Starmie!" she yelled, pointing at the constantly moving beedrill. "Tackle now!"

"Dodge it!" Jake called, looking calmer now that the battle was underway. His Beedrill zigzagged above the pool, moving only when he saw the starmie heading his way. "Good job! Now stop and use Fury Attack!"

"No!" Daisy cried, seeing her Starmie met by the points of the lances on beedrill's arms. "Recover! Now use Bubblebeam!"

"Poison Sting!" Jake countered, watching as the many bright needles popped most of the bubbles before they even came close. There were too many to deal with though, and a few did impact against the bug pokémon, making him falter in mid-flight. "Shake it off!"

"Bubblebeam again!" Daisy said, hoping to catch Beedrill before he could get his bearing back. But the beedrill was quicker this time, avoiding the attack by looping around the bubbles, which was obviously frustrating Daisy. "One more time!"

Jake was watching Beedrill very carefully as he flew around without being told to, and suddenly he noticed that the pokémon's arms were glowing very slightly. "Perfect timing!" he called, startling Daisy from calling out another attack. "Use Pin Missile!"

Similar to poison sting, the pin missile attack launched needles through the bubbles heading toward Beedrill. But the number of projectiles was much larger this time, skewering all the bubbles and embedding into the jewel in Starmie's center. "Finish it off!" Jake called hurriedly as Daisy urged her pokémon to recover again. "Twineedle!" Whether or not the Starmie heard Daisy didn't matter as it was sent flying by the double strike right into its center, slumping down against the edge of the pool with its jewel darkened.

Daisy stared for a moment before just shaking her head and recalling the Starmie back to its pokéball. "Unexpected, but very effective," she said warmly, but Ash could see a little tightness around her green eyes that told him she was being polite. "Next?"

Jake recalled his own Beedrill looking a little stunned that he had won. He barely even registered that Jeanie had hugged him on the way past. By the time he sat down, she was already on the platform and ready to go. "Did that really just happen?" he asked Ash as he watched the ladies call out their pokémon: a Seel for Daisy and a Clefairy for Jeanie.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Ash asked, noticing that Daisy was taking this battle a lot more seriously even though once again there wasn't a type disadvantage to be found. "It's not like this is your first badge, is it?"

"Actually," Jake muttered, watching as Jeanie's clefairy bounced around the tiny platforms scattered around the pool's surface to avoid seel's attacks, "this is our first badge."

"Stand still!" Daisy yelled, frustrated at her Seel's inability to hit any of his attacks.

"You want her to stand still?" Jeanie asked, her own smirk matching the one Daisy had sported earlier. "Fine, we'll do things your way. Clefairy! Time to finish this off! Use Metronome!"

The attack that was called out made the entire area go quiet except for the clefairy who was waving her arms back and forth. "Metronome," Daisy groaned, obviously hating that word so much. Metronome was the unpredictable attack, the one that could be absolutely anything. From a Magikarp's Splash to a Dragonite's Hyper Beam and everything in between. There was no way to tell what it would be. "Are you crazy? You have no idea what that attack could do!"

"I've got trust in my pokémon," Jeanie said confidently. "I know she'll pull through for me."

"Well I'm not giving her the chance! Seel! Use Headbutt!"

The bad thing about Metronome was that it could not be called for on the move. Clefairy was a sitting duck as seel charged right for it. The horn atop Seel's head knocked Clefairy back with such force that Ash was surprised not to see any blood in the water. He was sure the match was over, but then he saw that Clefairy's arms were no longer in motion.

The momentum of the headbutt pulled Seel out of the water for a short distance, keeping him near Clefairy. In that short instant, she wrapped her small hands around seel's horn. For a second it didn't look like anything was happening, but then both pokémon started to glow green. Ash didn't recognize the attack, and he wished he had his pokédex on him, but it was back in his room for the time being.

The effect was obvious though, as Clefairy suddenly looked completely unharmed as she landed safely on a nearby platform. Seel, on the other hand, was floating motionless on top of the water. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was completely unconscious.

"And such goes my luck," Daisy sighed, recalling her Seel and turning to descend the platform. "Come on over you two, let's make this nice and official." Jake hurried over to help Jeanie down after Clefairy all but jumped back into her pokéball, then they walked over to meet Daisy at the middle of the pool. "Congratulations to you both on winning your battles here today," she said, opening a case that she had picked up on her way. "For your victories, I present you both with Cascade Badges. Wear them proudly."

Both Jake and Jeanie reached into the case and pulled out the teardrop- shaped badges and looked at them with a sense of awe. Ash ran over with his girlfriends to congratulate them, and to shock them out of their stupor. "Way to go you two!" Misty said as she and Penny pulled them into group hugs. "I knew you could do it!"

"Which means dinner's on us tonight," Penny added, ruffling Jake's hair playfully. "So go on and get ready to celebrate!"

Ash laughed at the pitiful expression on Jake's face, which got Jeanie's attention squarely on him. "Hmm, is this the Ash you were telling us about last night?" she asked, leaning in close and making him back up with a blush. "He's as cute as you said. You girls have good taste!"

"Hey, get your own!" they both said together, each girl grabbing onto one of Ash's arms. A good laugh was had by all, but Ash didn't hear one voice he expected to join in. A quick look told him that Daisy was nowhere to be found. He hadn't even seen her leave, and after how she'd acted this morning, he couldn't help but be a little worried about her.

Daisy was conspicuous by her absence for the rest of that morning; but at least there were no other challengers for her to deal with. The next time they saw her was when she announced lunch for them. It was just a simple lunch of sandwiches, but it was more than either of the other two had done on their days. "Aren't you going to have anything?" Ash asked when he noticed her leaving.

"I'll probably get something a little later," she said, brushing a hank of her blonde hair out of her tired face. "A lot of our debtors want their money today, or at least a good explanation of why we're going to be late with it. The shows just aren't bringing in what they used to and the stipend for being a Gym Leader isn't much since we give out so many badges."

"Is it really that bad Daisy?" Misty asked, worry for her home leaking through the animosity over their current bet.

Daisy gave her sister a wan smile and shook her head. "It's always bad Misty, you knew that before you left. But hey, we've made it this long, right? We'll be able to make it through again."

"She doesn't look so well," Ash commented, getting nods from the other two as Daisy walked out of the kitchen. He had it in mind to say something else, but was stopped as she poked her head back in. "Yeah?" he asked, thinking she had forgotten something.

Daisy's green eyes lit up with a soft but mischievous smile that made her look more alive than she had so far that day. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm aware of all the cuddling that's been going on today," she said, making all three jump guiltily. "According to the rules, you can't do anything to interfere with my plans. Problem is that I'm so busy today that I have no plans to speak of, so you're not breaking any rules. Just try to keep it to a minimum, ok?" They nodded quickly to her request, and she left the kitchen again.

The rest of the day passed quietly, Since there wasn't much concern that Daisy would show up and ruin their time together, they were a lot more content to just sit there and enjoy each others' company. It was so relaxing for them all that at one point they had all fallen asleep, Ash with an arm around each of them, only to be awoken by a nearby clock chiming five times.

"Wow, where did the time go," Penny said through a yawn, her face cutely scrunching up. "My Pikapi," she whispered, getting in another snuggle before reluctantly disentangling herself from his embrace and helping a sleepy Misty do the same. "Just think, tomorrow morning we'll be able to put this whole thing behind us."

"I can't wait!" Ash agreed enthusiastically as he walked them to the door. "Besides, I've got an Earth Badge to earn!" He couldn't help but laugh at the looks that crossed both their faces, something between annoyance and acceptance with a little extra thrown in there. He gave them each a kiss that seemed to mollify them somewhat, and they both kissed him back before they left.

It wasn't too hard to figure out how to lock the door behind them, even though Daisy had done it the two days previous. Once it was secured, he turned around to see the blonde skidding at him, trying to stop herself before she crashed into him. Ash was able to get his hands up to grab her arms to stop her, but not before she was only a few inches from falling into him. "You all right?" he asked as she caught her breath.

"Y-yeah," she said, blushing from the near accident. "Sorry about that Ash, this floor gets slippery when it's wet." Ash looked down and saw that her feet were bare and her legs wet from about the middle of her shin on down, well below the cotton shorts she was wearing now. Her blouse was unbuttoned, showing off a pink, silky slip that fell to her waist but still kept her modesty intact. "I was just trying to relax by resting my feet in the pool," she explained when she saw him looking at her legs. "I wish I could've gone swimming but with everything today I just didn't have that much time."

"It's ok Daisy," he said, sensing she was starting to babble. He tried to set her back on her feet, but she was still leaning a lot toward him and he wasn't able to let her go for fear that she'd fall or something. Of the four sisters, Ash had spent the least amount of time around Daisy, so he took this opportunity to get a good look at her. Each of the others still had a certain cast to their face to show that they were still young, or perhaps very recently an adult. But not Daisy; the beauty and maturity of her face made it very clear that she was all woman.

At the same time, Daisy took the opportunity to study Ash's face as well. He was young sure, but his travels had brought with it a sense of maturity that few pokémon trainers encountered so early in their careers. It was like he'd already lived a whole life and was now on his second one. But he hadn't lost that boyish charm that had made him stand out the first time they'd met. Those two things combined would prove a powerful force with the ladies once he got older. If she were being honest, they already were, and that was why she found herself leaning toward him just a bit.

Ash was no longer surprised by this, having had this happen with the other two sisters already. Even as he leaned up to brush his lips ever so lightly against hers, he turned around to prop her up against the door as he stepped back. "See you at dinner Daisy," he said, feeling more confident this time around than he had the previous two days.

Daisy watched him walk away and felt herself slide down the door until she was sitting against it, the weakness in her legs having nothing to do with how wet they were. She hadn't been lying when she'd said that she had been busy doing the more menial aspects of running a gym since the battle, but she had also planned for this moment. There was no way he could've seen it coming, relying on the element of surprise to make his reaction perfectly honest.

And yet somehow he had managed to reverse things around on her. She was almost six years his senior, she should not be attracted to him like this. Her sisters had tried to warn her that Ash was so hard to resist, but she'd paid it no mind. Now, after experiencing it herself, she wished she had listened.

Perhaps a half hour after all this happened, Brock finally emerged from his room in the Pokémon Center. He'd spent a majority of the day with Suzie to make up for avoiding her the day before, but it hadn't helped her worry any less about him. He was almost sure that she knew that something was going on with him, but so far it didn't look like she had any idea just what that was.

He had to tell her, he knew he did, but how to tell her something he still wasn't sure of himself? At least she had gone out shopping with Penny and Misty in anticipation of Ash winning that little wager they'd forced him into. It gave him a few hours to figure things out.

"Hey Brock!" Nurse Joy said chipperly as she saw him, waving him over.

"Hey Nurse Joy," he greeted her, finding the slight blush on her face quite cute. He was worried she would want to discuss what had happened between them, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. But that was no reason to be rude. "You're looking a lot better today."

Joy ducked her head shyly as he caught her blushing, but she looked up at him through her long lashes. "All thanks to you," she murmured with a warm smile before looking back up and recovering her poise. "Growline is ready to go back to Officer Jenny," she said, holding out the pokéball for him to take. "I would take her back myself, but this is always the time of day the Center gets busy, and from everything I heard she's not able to come and get it herself. Would you be a dear and take her back to Jenny for me?"

"Oh sure, no problem," Brock said with a relieved smile. That was something he could handle easily enough, and he wanted to check on Jenny anyway to see how her wounds were healing. He took the pokéball and turned to leave, but stopped when Nurse Joy put her hand on top of his. "Is there something else I can do for you?" he asked, his heart fluttering just a bit at her touch.

Her blush was back and more obvious than before, but she bravely held his gaze. "Well, I was hoping that tonight after I closed up you wouldn't mind joining me for dinner? You know, like a date maybe?"

How often had he wished to hear those words? But as he stood there watching her, he knew that the time for them had past. What he felt for Joy was a crush, a boyhood dream. That kiss they'd shared had been amazing, and she was as beautiful and terrific as ever. But with a small start he realized he was happy with Suzie, and he didn't want to risk that.

He must've taken a little too long to figure all that out, because Joy's smile fell a little, turning sad as she realized the truth. "There's someone else, isn't there?" she asked, shaking her head before he could answer. "The blue-haired one you're traveling with, right? I should've known that a guy as nice as you would've had a girlfriend already."

"Hey if I didn't-" Brock began, but Nurse Joy cut his off by leaning in for a quick but tender kiss. It brought to mind the other one they had shared, but he could tell that this one was a goodbye. The only thing he could think of to say was, "Thank you," no matter how inadequate it felt.

"No Brock, thank you," Joy said, wiping a tear away as she let his hand go. She waved to him as he left the Pokémon Center, then she walked into her kitchen for a quick break. She was sad that he was already taken, but as least he hadn't tried to lead her on. She wasn't about to tell him this, but he was her first kiss, and that was something she would always treasure.

Dinner at the Gym was another quiet affair. Daisy was at least eating this time, but she was still hard at work at the table. Ash felt a little bad as he stirred around his bowl of stew, especially as she got more and more frustrated no matter how many times she went over whatever was on that notepad of hers. He knew what her answer probably would be, but there was no harm in asking. "Hey Daisy," he ventured quietly. "Is there any way I can help?"

As quiet as his voice was, it still startled her out of her thoughts. Biting back the snarky comment that had been on the tip of her tongue, she instead forced a smile as she blew some hair from her face. "I wish you could Ash," she said, flipping some pages in the pad before slamming it down again. "No matter how I work the numbers, there's no way we can keep this gym in business forever. The money we bring in is always just slightly lower than our expenses, and that's with doing the water shows on top of the battling. With the money we've got saved up, we're looking at maybe three years before we're bankrupt unless something changes. Things were going well until our numbers started dropping at our shows but..."

Ash wasn't that good at math, so he doubted he'd see anything in those numbers that she hadn't already considered. "Have you thought about trying a new show?" he suggested, which just resulted in a wry twist of Daisy's lips. "Well, what have you tried then?"

"There's only so much we can do with synchronized swimming and water ballet Ash," she sighed, sitting back in her chair. "Most of what's out there we've done three times or more. Everyone's seen it already; no matter how good you are, people aren't going to pay for what they already know. And any original shows we've tried to put together have flopped miserably."

"Well, how about changing things up?" Ash suggested, pushing his uneaten stew away from him and leaning his elbows on the table. "Let me finish," he said as she tried to cut him off. "As great as you three are, you admitted there's only so much you can do with that. What about a show that focuses on the pokémon more than on you three?"

"A water pokémon show?" she asked disbelievingly. "As much as I love them, I don't think people would pay to see something like a live documentary. They want action, suspense, to be on the edge of their seats! And nothing I can come up with will do that."

Ash scooted his chair around the table closer to her so they could talk a little easier. "Well what about battling? This is a gym after all, isn't it? You could pull trainers in to watch the show and then try their luck by battling you right there onstage."

Daisy's eyes lit up as the possibilities whirled around in her mind. "Yes yes, I think I can see that," she said, turning to a blank page in her notepad and starting to sketch out ideas and notes. "Problem is, my battling isn't really the best around, as you saw today. I mean, how could that Beedrill beat Starmie? I mean ok, that Clefairy got lucky by pulling up Mega Drain, but I don't get the other one."

"I did a little looking into that," Ash said with a grin, glad to know something that she didn't. "According to my pokédex, Starmie is a Water/ Psychic type pokémon, and it turns out that Bug attacks are strong against Psychics."

"So even though he didn't have the advantage against Water, he did have it against Psychic," Daisy realized, completing his thought. "Wow, I'm actually kinda ashamed that I didn't know that. I focus on the Water aspects of pokémon so much that I forget that some of them have dual natures."

"I only know because I have Dexter," Ash said with a laugh, referring to his pokédex. "Without that, I wouldn't be half the trainer I am."

"But you've got a lot more experience with this stuff than I do," Daisy said with her green eyes glittering. "Care to help me figure it out?"

Of course it was a blatant stroke of his ego, but Ash wasn't going to turn her down just because of that. After all, helping save the gym would also take a worry away from Misty, and that made it worth it. "All right, let's see what we can come up with," he said, and they both bent their heads to their work.

While a show like nothing Cerulean City had ever seen was taking shape, Brock was waiting nervously by the door of Officer Jenny's stationhouse for the door to open. He'd knocked a few times already to no answer, and he was starting to worry after her health. What if she'd popped her stitches? What if she was bleeding out right now?

He reached for the doorknob to open it, but the door jerked open before he could. "Oh Brock!" Jenny exclaimed, wincing a bit as she steadied herself with a walking stick. "Come on in. I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Nurse Joy wanted me to return Growline to you," he explained, letting the pokémon out of her pokéball. Growline barked happily to see her trainer up and about, but was careful to restrain her enthusiasm so as not to hurt her any worse than she was. "Wow," Brock commented as Growline curled up by Jenny's feet. "You have her so well trained."

"A lot of patience and love," she assured him, sitting down and running her fingers through her friend's fur. "I'm just so glad she's OK; Brock, I don't think I could thank you enough for saving her life. For saving our lives," she amended with a blush.

Brock fought the urge to chuckle at her nervousness, sensing a certain vulnerability in her that had not been apparent last night, even when she had been incapable of walking under her own power. Maybe it was the clothes she was wearing; a dark blue jogging outfit was a lot less intimidating than her uniform. Brock didn't know for sure, but he knew she needed support right now, not laughter. "Hey, I'm just glad I was there," he insisted, sitting down next to her. "Any word on that creep though?"

"A couple of my deputies found him right where we left him," she told him, groaning a bit as she shifted herself a little closer to him. She took a moment to gather her courage and decided to blurt her next words out before she could stop herself. "Look Brock, I'm attracted to you, I want to get to know you better, so how about we have dinner tonight and see where things go?"

"As much as I'd love to do that," Brock said, much quicker on the response this time than he had been with Nurse Joy, "I'm afraid I already have a girlfriend."

Jenny closed her eyes with a groan and leaned back in her chair. "Just my luck," she sighed, a rueful smile twisting her red lips. "I finally find a guy and someone else already found him first. What else is new with my life?"

"Hey, if I wasn't already-"

"Please don't," Jenny said, holding her fingers up against his lips to silence him. "I know you're just trying to help but trust me, those words do nothing but hurt. Thanks for bringing Growline back, but it's probably best if you just go Brock."

He nodded sadly, understanding what she was talking about. He'd had the best of intentions, but running through the words he'd been about to say made him realize just how painful they could be. What if Suzie had said that to him when they had met back in Cinnabar? He probably would've been crushed and tried to swear off women for a time. Not that he would've been too successful at it, but the thought would've been there.

He knelt down to pet Growline and say his goodbyes to her before looking up to do the same to Jenny. But what he got wasn't a goodbye with words, but with a kiss as Joy had done earlier. He'd half-expected this as well, but he hadn't expected it to be so tender and filled with longing. He'd really had no idea just how much you could feel and make someone else feel with just a kiss.

"I really hope she knows what a lucky girl she is," Jenny said, sitting back with a pained sigh. "And Brock, if it doesn't work out, feel free to look me up."

"I might just do that," he agreed, but he already knew he wouldn't. It was just like his crush on Joy; a great dream but that's all it was ever supposed to be. He had never thought about anything past kissing them and sweeping them off their feet. But with Suzie, as much as it scared him a little to even consider it, he could actually see a future with her.

As he walked back to the Pokémon Center, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days, but he knew that one thing still weighed on it. He had to tell Suzie. If there really was going to be any kind of future between them, he couldn't let this come up between them at any point. Better to deal with it now and hope that she could see past it. But he had to let her make that decision. He owed her that much at least for putting up with him so far.

Some time later, inside the kitchen of the Cerulean Gym, Ash sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He was making a few more notes on the show that he and Daisy had spent the last few hours designing and he was exhausted. He'd thought it was a lot of work being part of that singing contest where he had won his Lapras, but this was like that times ten! Even Daisy had tired of it and had gone to the bathroom to refresh herself. When she got back he'd go throw some cold water on his face too so that they could make a final push and get this done tonight.

A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that it was 9:30 PM and Ash froze. After 9:00, that meant he was fair game. But Daisy hadn't been after him all day, except for that one opportunistic moment at the door. Surely she wouldn't try anything now, right? Still, maybe he would be better off going to his room and finish planning the show in the morning. And if not better, definitely safer.

"Going somewhere Ash?" Daisy asked softly from the doorway just as Ash was starting to get up, the slight twist of her now cherry-red lips visible even through the shadows she stood in.

Ash clenched his teeth together and sat back down. He was getting very well acquainted with that tone of voice, and he knew it meant nothing good for him. But buoying his confidence was the knowledge that this was the last night; their last chance. The moment he got into his room it would all be over and he would win.

But when she stepped into the light, all of Ash's confidence fled like water swirling down a drain. Daisy was dressed in a sleeveless silk robe colored a deep red that only came down to her upper thighs. It was tied very loosely around her waist, but it still revealed a strip of bare skin from her neck down to that tie and the pink panties underneath it. "I really wanted to thank you for all your help," she said as she sauntered toward him, a definitely eye-catching sway to her hips.

He quickly brought up his hands to ward her off as she leaned down over him, looking to catch her like he had earlier. Only this time she moved her arms up out of the way, making him miss. His arms wrapped around her to keep her from hurting herself as she fell forward, as if she had leaned too far to keep her balance. But from the sudden smirk on her face, he knew that he'd been had.

"Well well," Daisy all but purred, sitting down quickly on his lap and looking at his arms embracing her, "if this isn't initiating affectionate physical contact, I don't know what is."

Ash's brain took a second to process that, but it was already too late to act. Daisy brought her lips down onto his aggressively, kissing him like he'd never been kissed before. Her lips were forceful, demanding, and slid across his in ways he'd never experienced before. Maybe it was that lipstick she was wearing, or maybe it was because she was that much more experienced. He didn't know, and when he felt her that tongue of hers slip up against his own...

For one short moment, Ash found himself responding to her kiss in kind, his arms clutching her closer. But that moment quickly passed and he shoved her off his lap hard, landing her on the kitchen table behind her. "What was that for?" he demanded, standing up and backing away from her.

Daisy's eyes narrowed as she slid off the table. "Oh stop the act Ash," she said, advancing on him and poking him in the chest. "I felt it when you kissed me back. You wanted that kiss to continue. You want me Ash. So just admit it and we can get back to it."

"No I don't," Ash said calmly, looking up right into her eyes. He grabbed Daisy's hand, keeping her from continuing to poke him so that he could get his thoughts out. "Daisy, a wise friend recently told me that sometimes a kiss is just that and doesn't mean anything more."

She pulled her hand from his in a huff, a sneer on her lips that was betrayed by just a very slight trembling. "And why not?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest angrily. "I'm ten times the woman they are in every way! I'm-"

"Not them," Ash said, cutting her off before she could get started. "Look, no matter what you come up with, or even how true it is, you're not them. I love Misty and I love Penny. And that's all there is to it."

She sat down hard in the nearest chair as the realization hit her. This wasn't some act Ash was putting on. There wasn't any of the hesitation that she'd seen in others when they had to convince themselves that their words were true. He really did love them both, as incredible as that was. "It's not fair," she muttered, letting her face fall forward into her hands. "Why? Why are all the nice guys already taken?"

At first, Ash expected it to be another trick, but when he heard her starting to sob he couldn't help himself. "Daisy," he soothed, pulling a chair next to her and sitting down on it. "Hey look, it's not like I went looking for this to happen. I'm still kind of amazed that it did really. All I ever really wanted from my life was to be Pokémon Master and look what happened. If a guy like me could find it then who can't?"

"Don't sell yourself short Ash," Daisy said, looking up at him with a tear-streaked face. "I can honestly say I can see exactly why those two love you so much."

There was something different in how she looked at him, something in her eyes and her voice that made Ash instinctively stand up and take a step back. "I'm going to get back to my room," he said, knowing he was making a retreat but not really sure what else he could do at this moment. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well Ash," Daisy sighed, organizing the notes they'd worked on together just to give herself something to do. But no matter how much she worked, her thoughts kept turning back to Ash and what she knew she would have to do tomorrow.


	5. Day 4 - Final Proof

"Triple Trouble"

Author: Robert Brown

Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law.

#10

Part 5: "Day 4 - Final Proof"

As the final day dawned, Ash was already waiting at the door for his girlfriends to show up. The bet was over, he had passed every single test that the three sisters had thrown at him. Despite still being a little sore that he had to prove himself at all, he was proud of himself to have actually done it. But even so, he was eager to get back to Viridian City and focus on getting his eighth and final badge.

"Hey Ash."

Ash turned around in surprise to see the three sisters standing there looking at him. They looked much as they had over the past three days, but each one had a sad smile on their lips. It reminded him of the look that he'd seen on Daisy the night before, and it both worried him and tugged at his heart. "Umm, hey ladies," he said, looking at them one by one. "Is...there something I can do for you?"

Violet shook her head slowly, that smile firmly on her lips. "No Ash," she said as they stepped toward him. "We actually have something we need to say to you."

"We thought that once we had a clear shot at you, we'd show you just how wrong you were," Lily piped in, her exuberance noticably dimmed. "After all, who could resist the three of us at our best?"

"But you did," Daisy said, her arms folded loosely across her stomach. "And you showed us how wrong we were instead. We've never met a guy like you Ash, and it's likely we never will again."

"So with that in mind," Violet added as they all held out their hands toward him, "we hope that you have no hard feelings toward us or can forgive us if you do."

Ash looked at each of the outstretched hands in turn, but then stepped past them to give them each a hug that told his feelings better than any words he might be able to come up with. Yeah, he was a little sore over it still, but he really felt that they'd only had Misty's best interests at heart this whole time. They had a weird way of showing it, but they did care a lot about her. Maybe they weren't so bad after all!

A few hours later Ash was absolutely sure of it. They weren't so bad after all; they were worse! Of all their games, all their tricks, all their ploys, they had saved the worst of them for last. And unlike everything he'd had to deal with over the past three days, there was nothing that he could do about it.

Even after winning the bet, even after jumping through every hoop they had thrown at him, they still were not going to allow Misty to continue with him on his journey. In all their negotiations, Misty and Penny had detailed what could and could not happen over the last three days as well as what would happen if Ash lost. But nowhere had the sisters agreed to let Misty continue on with him if he won. And that was their final loophole which Ash could feel closing tight on his neck. "So much for no hard feelings," he grumbled, angry at himself for letting his guard down when it mattered the most.

"Don't be like that Ash," Daisy said, her green eyes pleading with him to understand. She had chosen to break the news to them in the pool area, hoping that the place that all of them felt the most comfortable would let it be accepted easier. That wasn't happening. "We're doing this for your own good. All of you."

"How can you say that?" Penny demanded, trying to console Misty as the redhead's body was wracked with rage-filled sobs. Penny's long brown hair was starting to get frizzy, like she was somehow building up an electric charge even in her human form. If not for the girl that she was holding, she would have transformed and shocked each one of those three sisters until they couldn't even look at water without being zapped. "You're trying to tear us apart and you say it's for our own good? I don't believe you!"

"Don't get us wrong," Violet said, appearing the calmest out of everyone there, but inside she was also the closest to throwing up from the stress. "We believe Ash loves both of you and won't be unfaithful now, but that's the whole problem. He can't have both of you forever; he'll have to make a choice that no one will like."

"And we worry he'll make the wrong choice," Lily admitted, her dark blue eyes glancing right at Penny. Penny glared right back, and for a second Lily swore she saw electricity dancing in her brown eyes. "Look, we're just trying to save you all from heartache down the road."

"But it's my life!" Misty cried, torn between breaking down and tearing every single strand of hair out of all three of her sisters' heads. "I know what could happen and it doesn't change anything for me! I'd rather take my chances with Ash than give up on him just because he might not pick me."

"You might think that way now," Daisy said, holding up her hand to keep Misty from talking until she was finished, "but what about a month from now? Or three? Or a year? When you're so wrapped up in him that if he doesn't choose you then your heart will shatter beyond repair? And if you dare tell me that it's already too late for that, then I'll call Officer Jenny and have both him and Penny thrown out of the gym right now."

Ash had never actually hated anyone. Not Gary, not Team Rocket, not even that evil boss of Team Rocket; though the members of the Red Squad did push his limits. But at this particular moment, he was as close to hating these three sisters as he had ever been. "You just try it," he said, disengaging himself from his girlfriends and standing up, despite their best efforts to keep him seated. "I'm not leaving without Misty."

They would never admit it, but all three of the sisters were impressed again by Ash's adamance. Not that it mattered; not a single one of them were wavering in their own beliefs. Ash had won a test of wills against each one of them individually, but there was no way he was going to stand against all three of them together. It might be a fight, but Daisy was convinced that she and her sisters would win this one.

And then the wall exploded inward with enough force to knock everyone down onto the tile floor. For a moment nobody moved, far too stunned by the concussive blast. Taking advantage of that, two robotic arms snaked through the hole and grabbed Misty and Penny, locking them each inside a separate glass cage attached to the end of each arm. "Ash!" they both yelled as they were forcefully dragged back through the hole.

Ash scrambled to his feet and ran outside after them, trying to grab onto the nearest cage, but both it and the girl inside were yanked cruelly out of his reach. He didn't even have to ask what was going on; he knew the only trio who would dare to attack in such a way.

His suspicions were confirmed by three loud cackles that came from the large tangela-shaped robot to which the cages were attached. "Seems like you got a little complacent there Twerp," Meowth called from the robot's control area where the eyes would be on an actual tangela, though the glass was tinted red for some reason. "And now we got your girlfriends!"

"Why are you doing this?" Ash demanded, reaching for the pokéballs he normally kept at his waist. But his fingers closed around nothing but air; the girls had not brought any pokémon with them expecting it to have been a quick visit. He was vaguely aware of Daisy, Violet, and Lily climbing out of the hole behind him, but he kept his attention focused on his current foes.

"Do we really need a reason?" Jessie asked, flipping her hair back with a tilt of her head. "Whenever we're around, you should always prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" James added, striking a pose in his seat.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Don't worry about us Ash," Penny said, the glow of her transformation starting to surround her. "I'll thunderbolt this thing and get us out of here!"

James wagged his finger at her with almost a playful grin. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he singsonged. "You see, your cage is wired directly to the other twerpette's cage without going through anything important! If you use any of your attacks, its power will be transferred directly to her!"

Both Misty and Penny blanched at that news; even if James were lying, Penny didn't want to take the chance and end up hurting Misty. Misty slammed her hands against the glass in frustration. If only she had brought her pokémon with her instead of leaving them with Brock! But wishing for that wasn't going to get them free. True, trying to pound her way free wasn't helping either, but at least it made her feel better.

"Time to blastoff!" Meowth said, pressing a large red button in front of him. "T minus sixty seconds!"

"Sixty seconds?" Jessie asked incredulously. "What happened to getting the ones that started immediately?"

"Hey, you know the budget I have to work with," Meowth groused. "Of course, if the twerp gets one of them out, then we'll have the power to take off immediately!"

Ash froze in his tracks, having already taken a step toward Penny's cage to try and free her. With Penny free and transformed into Pikachu, one Thunder Bomb would get Misty out of her cage and then Team Rocket would be done. But if they were telling the truth, doing that would leave Misty to be taken from him. He didn't go through all this with the sisters to lose one of them now!

"Forty-five seconds kid," James taunted as his victreebel waved her vines behind him.

Ash clenched his fists in anger, feeling the now familiar electricity flowing through him as his powers responded to his emotion. He glanced down at his hands, glowing with yellow light, and suddenly he understood. There was only one choice he could make in this instance and he was prepared to give it all he had.

"Thirty seconds!" Jessie exclaimed, but she wasn't taunting him. She just seemed to be sitting there, waiting. "Time to make your choice!"

Ash charged forward, still running toward Penny. He heard cries of shock and dismay from the sisters behind him, but he paid it absolutely no mind. He did risk a glance at the cockpit in which Team Rocket sat and was surprised to see them looking almost...disappointed? Well, they wouldn't have that look for long.

With fifteen seconds left, he reached Penny's cage and then ran past it, aiming straight for the main body of the tangelabot. "I choose them both!" he yelled, leaping up higher than he remembered ever doing and crashing his fist into the glass. "ThunderPunch!"

The force of Ash's punch shattered the glass, electricity discharging directly into the cockpit. The cages may have been wired to only each other, but that actually worked in his favor this time as that insulated them from his attack.

Team Rocket wasn't so lucky, Ash's anger making the attack just that much more potent. The control panel shorted out, carrying the electricity to the rockets on the robot's back and the fuel tanks that powered them. Ash had a victorious smirk on his face, knowing it was just a matter of time. But surprisingly, so did Team Rocket, though it was most noticable on Jessie's blue-painted lips. "Good job Ash," she whispered, winking his way.

For just a second there was the smell of smoke; that was all the warning before the fuel tanks exploded. The vines that held the cages were blown away from the main body, sending the cages rolling off to either side. Ash was knocked unconscious in the explosion, his limp body shot back through the hole in the gym's wall. Team Rocket, used to situations like this, simply went flying up into the air while holding onto each other. "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled, but to anyone listening they almost seemed...happy about it?

Lily and Violet each hurried to a cage, helping Misty and Penny out of their enclosures. "Are you two all right?" Lily asked, checking her sister over for any injuries sustained in the tumble.

"I think I'm all right," Misty said, moving slowly just in case there was some unexpected pain just waiting for her to find it. "How are you doing Penny?"

"Where's Ash?" was the only thing that Penny asked, unconcerned about her own well-being. Four pairs of eyes turned immediately to the hole in the wall of the gym and four pairs of legs ran toward it just as quickly.

The trajectory of Ash's flight had launched him into the main pool of the gym, but even the cool water was unable to wake him. Had it not been for Daisy recognizing the danger and diving into the pool after him, it might have been too late for him.

As it was, by the time she was able to drag him out of the water, he was no longer breathing, water trickling from his mouth and nose. "Don't you dare die," she hissed at him as the other girls appeared in the broken wall. He still had a pulse, so his body had not given up just yet. And she wasn't about to give up on him either.

She set him carefully down on his back and began giving him mouth-to- mouth resuscitation, forcing air into his lungs. Misty and Penny clung to each other for support, and even Lily and Violet shared an embrace as they watched Daisy work. All of them, except for Penny, were trained in artificial respiration and were ready to take over for Daisy if she got tired.

But it didn't come to that; within a minute Ash suddenly sat up, coughing water violently. His girlfriends were on him in an instant, hugging him between them and crying. Daisy had the grace to withdraw from what was clearly a very personal moment between the three, going instead to talk things over with Lily and Violet. Once more, Ash had surprised them all, only this time the message had finally gotten through.

"Hey," Lily said as the sisters approached, flinching as she saw the wariness and anger in the eyes of the two girls before her. "Relax you two," she said, draping a large towel around the three of them. "We're not blind, we saw what happened today."

"It would've been so easy for Ash to take the chance and free one of you to see if Team Rocket was bluffing," Violet added, helping Ash up to his feet as Misty and Penny stood as well. "And he's beaten them so many times that it would have been an acceptable risk."

"But he put his own life on the line, literally, to save you both," Daisy said, wringing her blonde hair out with a towel. "Yeah, we still don't think it's a great idea, but he's proven himself to us over and over again. We won't force you to stay Misty, but be careful, ok?"

Misty looked at her sisters for a moment, one at a time, her aqua eyes narrowed just a bit. "This isn't a trick? You mean it this time?" she asked, to which all three of them nodded. "Well, it's not like you could've kept me here anyway," she said with a bravado that made everyone laugh. "I don't know where my destiny leads, but I know that it's right alongside Ash's every step of the way."

"Just like mine is," Penny agreed, hugging Ash again from the side and holding him close.

Ash had no words like Misty did to describe how happy he was, so he just hugged each of the sisters in turn - though Lily did playfully complain about getting wet. That broke all of the remaining tension between the six of them and things finally felt right for him, like they hadn't been since this bet was first made. Without his approval. That reminded him-

"Oh hey Ash," Lily said, making Ash realize that he was still hugging her and dropping his arms away. "You take care of my sister, you hear me?" she said, leaning in to place a quick but heartfelt kiss on his lips, much to the shock of Ash, Misty, and Penny.

"Because we will be using our connections to keep our eyes on you the whole time," Violet warned, turning Ash to face her so that she could kiss him as well, a second longer than Lily had with much the same results.

"And if anything does happen to her," Daisy said, grabbing Ash's shoulders and bending down to be eye level with him. "You'll wish you never met any of us." Then she smothered Ash's protest with a kiss of her own, holding it until Misty actually walked up and pulled him away.

Misty marched a dazed Ash right out of the gym, growling angrily at her smug sisters the whole time. "The nerve of those three!" she yelled, not stopping until they were at least half a block away. "You stay here Ash," she said, letting him lean against the wall as she turned back the way they had come. "I'm going to-"

"Chuuuuuu!" Misty was stopped by a bright yellow flash that came from the hole in the gym, accompanied by three high-pitched screams. Penny walked out a moment later, adjust the strap of her tank top with a satisfied grin. "That'll teach them to kiss our boyfriend," she all but snarled, feeling the need to go back in there and make sure.

"Forget them," Misty said, snapping her fingers in front of Ash's face until he came to. "Hey, you'd better not be thinking of them," she warned him, shoving her fist right up under his nose.

"O-Of course not!" he insisted, ignoring the sweat he felt on the back of his neck. "I was just thinking about getting back to Viridian City and getting my eighth badge! Come on! The faster we get back to the Pokémon Center, the faster we can get there and I can be Pokémon Master!"

Penny and Misty shared a disbeliving glance, but just rolled their eyes and each hooked an arm into one of Ash's, walking with him back to the Pokémon Center. Maybe now that this situation was over it would all finally calm down and go smoothly for a change.

How wrong they were.


End file.
